By Sarah Hannan
As we reach the ninth month since the first case of Covid-19 was reported globally and the sixth month since Sri Lanka reported its first locally transmitted case, we can observe that none of the countries that recorded the outbreak of the virus have been able to eliminate the threat yet.
Although there is a potential vaccine being developed currently, it is yet to be administered at the clinical trial levels before it can be administered on general patients who have contracted the virus or be used as an immunity shot to prevent one from contracting the virus.
The discomfort caused by the nasopharyngeal swabs when samples are collected for PCR tests and the difficulty caused to a person who is hooked onto a ventilator at the more critical stage of being a Covid-19-positive patient are rarely discussed. However, just watching the demonstrations online can get people to take all precautions to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.
With less discussion and news being circulated about the dangers of the virus, the public has gone back to being complacent about the pandemic, which at this point is quite worrying as the country is now fully opened up for daily business, work, and schools.
The Sunday Morning spoke to Ministry of Health Secretary Maj. Gen. Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe on whether the health guidelines would be gazetted so that health inspectors and the Police would be able to take action against non-adherence to the guidelines.
“We cannot force a law on people and confine them in spaces for too long as they have a basic human right to freely walk about and continue their daily routines. The guidelines were designed so that people would know what precautions need to be taken when they are in a public setting,” Dr. Munasinghe noted.
During the entirety of the lockdown, information was drilled into people’s heads through all forms of media so that they would follow the guidelines like a prayer, with 46 such guidelines based on social circumstances being painstakingly compiled by the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Bureau under the guidance of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).
As with any social situation, the people of this country seems to have conveniently forgotten about the importance of following the basics such as wearing a surgical or reusable mask when in public areas, washing or sanitising hands frequently, covering one’s nose and mouth with the back of their elbows when sneezing or coughing, and maintaining physical distance when required.
Sri Lanka still at risk
NOCPCO Chairman, Chief of Defence Staff, and Commander of the Army Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva said: “At present, only Sri Lankan expatriates arriving in the country from overseas confirm positive for the Covid-19 infection, and no positive cases have been reported within the country in the past couple of months after 30 April.”
However, he reiterated that just because there is no community cluster being reported, we should not be complacent about the pandemic that is quite rampant, and since Sri Lanka still has not eliminated the virus fully, he stressed how important it is to follow the guidelines that are in place for each social situation.
Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Secretary Dr. Senal Fernando earlier this week told our daily paper that strict precautions should be taken by the public despite there being no social transmission reported at present.
According to him, strict measures should also be taken to protect aviation crews and staff of ports and quarantine centres (QCs) in the country who directly connect with possible Covid-19 cases to stop any kind of leakage to society.
Dr. Fernando also noted that there is a threat of the virus possibly being transmitted by illegal immigrants who are arriving through various means of travel that are undetected by these health screening procedures.
Status of quarantine centres
The total amount of persons who underwent quarantine and have gone to their respective homes amounted to 38,863 as at 9 September.
According to the NOCPCO, as at 6 a.m. on 9 September, the total number of detainees at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre stood at 649. Of them, 528 individuals were detainees under rehabilitation, 67 were staff members, five were guest staffers, and 48 were family members and close associates, including one person who was in contact with the infected patient from the Welikada Prison.
Furthermore, 136 quarantined individuals left for their homes after PCR tests. Of them, seven persons were from the Hotel Club Dolphin QC, 29 from the Negombo Camelot Beach QC, 13 from the Hotel Negombo Kaya QC, two from the Rajagiriya Ayurvedic QC, 65 from the Punani QC, four from the Norochcholai QC, seven from Nipuna Bossa QC, and nine from the Hekiththa QC.
In 57 tri-services-managed QCs, 6,176 persons are still under quarantine and as at 8 September, the total number of PCR tests conducted stood at 242,984.
Strategic repatriation
“Just over 35,000 Sri Lankan expatriates have been brought down to the country from 105 foreign lands till now. Yet, the threat of the virus in our society is far from eradicated, and we still need to continue our health practices, although some sections appear to ignore this looming threat of its transmission. It is a responsibility that befalls us. With any minor lapse on our part, it could spill over and still be transmitted to a larger community,” Lt. Gen. Silva noted.
The recent review meeting of the NOCPCO discussed the status of the repatriation process and quarantine facilities with the continuous arrival of expatriates into the country. There are 50,000 more to be repatriated on a staggered basis in keeping with other strategic needs and concerns.
When asked about the monitoring process employed by the Sri Lanka Army when managing the QCs that are scattered across the island, Lt. Gen. Silva explained that one medical officer from the Army is deployed to each QC in addition to security being provided to all QCs and hotels functioning as QCs where expatriates are in quarantine.
Routine and random PCR testing continues
Acting Director General of Health Services Dr. S. Sridharan stated: “While the routine PCR testing is conducted by obtaining nasopharyngeal swab samples from the persons under quarantine and whoever walks into a clinic who is suspected to have contracted the virus, random tests are also conducted in society to ensure the safety of the community.”
He also mentioned that possibilities are being explored to increase the number of PCR tests conducted at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in consultation with civil aviation and Sri Lanka Air Force authorities, while giving necessary guidelines to the ministry.
By the end of August, 175 samples were collected at random from vendors and consumers who were at the Manning Market Complex with the mediation of the Colombo Municipal Council Health Department and public health inspectors.
Meanwhile on Tuesday (8), the Sri Lanka Army, recognising the increasing need to improve laboratory facilities dedicated to running PCR tests, established a fully equipped laboratory facility at the Narahenpita Army Hospital.
The laboratory has the capacity to run 300 diagnostic PCR tests and with the assistance of expert virologists and molecular biologists, they have the capacity to improve it up to 600. The facility was constructed at a cost of Rs. 30 million.
One should also note that Sri Lanka is yet to employ the test, test, test method which urges the public to go and get tested to check if they have been infected by the virus. It is only the persons who show symptoms that get tested, and whoever enters the country gets the PCR test done.
Photo Lalith Perera
The discomfort caused by the nasopharyngeal swabs when samples are collected for PCR tests and the difficulty caused to a person who is hooked onto a ventilator at the more critical stage of being a Covid-19-positive patient are rarely discussed. However, just watching the demonstrations online can get people to take all precautions to prevent themselves from contracting the virus.
With less discussion and news being circulated about the dangers of the virus, the public has gone back to being complacent about the pandemic, which at this point is quite worrying as the country is now fully opened up for daily business, work, and schools.
The Sunday Morning spoke to Ministry of Health Secretary Maj. Gen. Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe on whether the health guidelines would be gazetted so that health inspectors and the Police would be able to take action against non-adherence to the guidelines.
“We cannot force a law on people and confine them in spaces for too long as they have a basic human right to freely walk about and continue their daily routines. The guidelines were designed so that people would know what precautions need to be taken when they are in a public setting,” Dr. Munasinghe noted.
During the entirety of the lockdown, information was drilled into people’s heads through all forms of media so that they would follow the guidelines like a prayer, with 46 such guidelines based on social circumstances being painstakingly compiled by the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Bureau under the guidance of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).
As with any social situation, the people of this country seems to have conveniently forgotten about the importance of following the basics such as wearing a surgical or reusable mask when in public areas, washing or sanitising hands frequently, covering one’s nose and mouth with the back of their elbows when sneezing or coughing, and maintaining physical distance when required.
Sri Lanka still at risk
NOCPCO Chairman, Chief of Defence Staff, and Commander of the Army Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva said: “At present, only Sri Lankan expatriates arriving in the country from overseas confirm positive for the Covid-19 infection, and no positive cases have been reported within the country in the past couple of months after 30 April.”
However, he reiterated that just because there is no community cluster being reported, we should not be complacent about the pandemic that is quite rampant, and since Sri Lanka still has not eliminated the virus fully, he stressed how important it is to follow the guidelines that are in place for each social situation.
Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) Secretary Dr. Senal Fernando earlier this week told our daily paper that strict precautions should be taken by the public despite there being no social transmission reported at present.
According to him, strict measures should also be taken to protect aviation crews and staff of ports and quarantine centres (QCs) in the country who directly connect with possible Covid-19 cases to stop any kind of leakage to society.
Dr. Fernando also noted that there is a threat of the virus possibly being transmitted by illegal immigrants who are arriving through various means of travel that are undetected by these health screening procedures.
Status of quarantine centres
The total amount of persons who underwent quarantine and have gone to their respective homes amounted to 38,863 as at 9 September.
According to the NOCPCO, as at 6 a.m. on 9 September, the total number of detainees at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre stood at 649. Of them, 528 individuals were detainees under rehabilitation, 67 were staff members, five were guest staffers, and 48 were family members and close associates, including one person who was in contact with the infected patient from the Welikada Prison.
Furthermore, 136 quarantined individuals left for their homes after PCR tests. Of them, seven persons were from the Hotel Club Dolphin QC, 29 from the Negombo Camelot Beach QC, 13 from the Hotel Negombo Kaya QC, two from the Rajagiriya Ayurvedic QC, 65 from the Punani QC, four from the Norochcholai QC, seven from Nipuna Bossa QC, and nine from the Hekiththa QC.
In 57 tri-services-managed QCs, 6,176 persons are still under quarantine and as at 8 September, the total number of PCR tests conducted stood at 242,984.
Strategic repatriation
“Just over 35,000 Sri Lankan expatriates have been brought down to the country from 105 foreign lands till now. Yet, the threat of the virus in our society is far from eradicated, and we still need to continue our health practices, although some sections appear to ignore this looming threat of its transmission. It is a responsibility that befalls us. With any minor lapse on our part, it could spill over and still be transmitted to a larger community,” Lt. Gen. Silva noted.
The recent review meeting of the NOCPCO discussed the status of the repatriation process and quarantine facilities with the continuous arrival of expatriates into the country. There are 50,000 more to be repatriated on a staggered basis in keeping with other strategic needs and concerns.
When asked about the monitoring process employed by the Sri Lanka Army when managing the QCs that are scattered across the island, Lt. Gen. Silva explained that one medical officer from the Army is deployed to each QC in addition to security being provided to all QCs and hotels functioning as QCs where expatriates are in quarantine.
Routine and random PCR testing continues
Acting Director General of Health Services Dr. S. Sridharan stated: “While the routine PCR testing is conducted by obtaining nasopharyngeal swab samples from the persons under quarantine and whoever walks into a clinic who is suspected to have contracted the virus, random tests are also conducted in society to ensure the safety of the community.”
He also mentioned that possibilities are being explored to increase the number of PCR tests conducted at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in consultation with civil aviation and Sri Lanka Air Force authorities, while giving necessary guidelines to the ministry.
By the end of August, 175 samples were collected at random from vendors and consumers who were at the Manning Market Complex with the mediation of the Colombo Municipal Council Health Department and public health inspectors.
Meanwhile on Tuesday (8), the Sri Lanka Army, recognising the increasing need to improve laboratory facilities dedicated to running PCR tests, established a fully equipped laboratory facility at the Narahenpita Army Hospital.
The laboratory has the capacity to run 300 diagnostic PCR tests and with the assistance of expert virologists and molecular biologists, they have the capacity to improve it up to 600. The facility was constructed at a cost of Rs. 30 million.
One should also note that Sri Lanka is yet to employ the test, test, test method which urges the public to go and get tested to check if they have been infected by the virus. It is only the persons who show symptoms that get tested, and whoever enters the country gets the PCR test done.
Photo Lalith Perera