Sri Lanka's COVID-19 cases exceed 89,000

The number of COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka surpassed 89,000 on Friday after over 300 new infections were detected a day earlier, statistics from the Health Ministry showed here.

According to official figures, Sri Lanka has recorded 89,175 positive COVID-19 cases since last March, out of which 85,944 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospitals, bringing the active patient count down to 2,693.

A total of 538 deaths have been reported from the virus, the Health Ministry said.

Sri Lanka in February began a mass vaccination program in the country's Western Province including capital Colombo where over 800,000 people have been inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccines to date.

Last weekend, health authorities suspended the vaccination drive for those above the age of 30 years and have prioritized administering the vaccine to those above the age of 60 years.

Officials said several centers had been set up in the Western Province for the elderly to receive their jabs after which the vaccination program would roll out to the other age groups. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )