Medical experts have pointed out that the current variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading in Sri Lanka is the highly contagious mutant of the coronavirus found in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to the media, the Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura Dr. Chandima Jeewandra said that the B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus which is spreading in the UK is confirmed to be spreading in the country and this was confirmed from tests conducted on samples obtained from Colombo, Kurunegala, and Boralesgamuwa.
"This strain has a 5 percent mortality rate and 50 per cent high transmissibility compared to the Sri Lankan lineage previously spreading in the country. The UK variant was only detected from quarantine centers, among those who returned from overseas." he said.