COLOMBO, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka' Health Ministry said on Saturday that a 60-year-old man tested positive for the COVID-19 had died while being under critical care at the National Infectious Disease Hospital on the outskirts of Colombo.
This marks Sri Lanka's first death from the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that the man underwent a kidney transplant a few years ago and was admitted to the National Infectious Disease Hospital recently after testing positive for the COVID-19.
The ministry further said that presently 113 patients were confirmed with the virus in Sri Lanka after five patients tested positive on Saturday.
Out of this number nine patients had been discharged after fully recovering from the illness.
A total of 199 people remained under observation in designated hospitals across the country.
Sri Lanka is under a nationwide curfew aimed at preventing the spread of the virus and people have been banned from leaving their homes.
