• The New Year cluster is the second largest cluster reported in Sri Lanka following the Peliyagoda and Harbour clusters
• The Health Ministry has warned that numbers could rise to 1 million within 100 days

By JAMILA HUSAIN

The New Year cluster in Sri Lanka which developed after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year last month crossed the 50,000 mark yesterday after the country recorded its highest daily total of COVID-19 patients with 3,051 patients reported.   

According to the Epidemiology Unit 50,234 patients have been infected with the virus since the April New Year, with authorities warning that these numbers will rise further in the coming weeks.   The New Year cluster is the second largest cluster reported in Sri Lanka following the Peliyagoda and Harbour cluster which led to the second wave of the pandemic with 82, 785 patients reported. However, the New Year cluster is well on its way to beating the Peliyagoda and Harbour clusters with an average of 2,000 patients being detected daily for the past 10 days.   The Health Ministry has warned that numbers could rise to 1 million within 100 days as health experts said the spread was vast.   

• The New Year cluster is the second largest cluster in Sri Lanka following the Peliyagoda and Harbour cluster which led to the second wave of the pandemic with 82,785 patients