By Sheain Fernandopulle   

The COVID-19 situation in the country will remain normal  although the number of COVID cases increase due to the cluster created  in the Jaffna area, Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera said.   

Addressing a media briefing, he said the surge in COVID  cases was reported during the past two days following the PCR tests  carried out on the first contacts of the patients detected from the  cluster in the Jaffna area.   

“The individuals, who were found to have contracted the  virus in the Jaffna area were from quarantine centres and therefore,  there is no risk that the virus could spread in the society. However,  there could be more COVID cases from the cluster,” Dr Samaraweera  stressed.   

Meanwhile, he said they had directed all the state  hospitals to inform the Epidemiology Unit over any admittance of  patients after two weeks of vaccination.   
“Accordingly, we have received six cases of blood clots.  However, it is yet to be ascertained whether they can be linked to the  direct effect of the vaccine,” he added.