Even though the health authorities would like to make us believe that the Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka is under control, the continuing spike in the death toll, as well as the number of patients infected with the virus, paints a very different picture. It seems the number of detections of Covid-19 cases is only stifled by testing capacity limitations with the Colombo District now on the threshold of an explosion of cases based on an estimate by the Colombo Municipal Council’s Chief Medical Officer that there could be upwards of 30,000 undetected cases in the city alone.
If the authorities take the doctor at his word, serious questions are likely to arise over the available capacity in hospitals to handle such a caseload over a short period. It also begs the question whether this 30,000, who at the moment may be asymptomatic, are going about their daily routines, oblivious to the possibility that they could be acting as super spreaders. For the good of the country, we hope the medical officer may be off the mark in his prediction, for if he were to be correct and even if just 10% of this number needed hospitalisation, then a medical crisis of formidable proportions is on the horizon.
The Head of the Covid-19 Task Force, the Army Commander, made a startling revelation saying that out of the 48 fatalities so far, only five had been attributed exclusively to the virus while the rest succumbed to complications caused by the virus on existing immuno-compromised conditions. These include heart disease, lung infections or weak lungs, diabetes, kidney or liver issues, etc. Based on this categorisation, it is likely that 75% of the population over the age of 40 suffer from some sort of pre-existing condition related to the above, thereby putting them at heightened risk in the event of contracting the virus. All such patients are likely to require intensive care treatment. Whether the country has the required infrastructure to provide such treatment is a matter for the health authorities to deal with immediately.
Over the past couple of weeks, the Government has come under heavy flak over the manner in which it has handled the evolving situation. It has done itself no good by continuing to deny that social spread has taken place, even in the face of mounting evidence of new clusters being created all over the place. As of last week, new, growing clusters have been identified in the police, the prisons, and the port in Colombo. We are at a loss to understand why the health authorities are seeking to deny the obvious when all evidence points to the contrary, with Sri Lanka now reaching the grim milestone of recording over 50 Covid-19-related deaths. It has also come to light that another 98 Sri Lankans have died of the disease overseas (at the time of writing), most notably in Saudi Arabia, while awaiting repatriation.
At the heart of the growing controversy is the manner in which the Government has handled key aspects of the crisis, such as the delay in increasing testing capacity, expansion of quarantine facilities and quality of service provided by private entities, militarising the quarantine operation to the extent that people think twice about informing the authorities when symptoms appear, ad hoc provision of relief to those without an income, corruption plaguing the relief effort, growing controversy over arbitrary cremation of deceased victims, especially Muslims and Christians, irregular repatriation of Sri Lankans abroad, appointing inexperienced individuals to key positions in the health set up, etc.
According to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Government has so far spent Rs. 70 billion on Covid control measures which include conducting PCR tests. This, however, pales into insignificance when considering the amount the lowest income sector of the population has expended just to make ends meet over the past few weeks. According to Central Bank data, people from lower income groups have obtained nearly Rs. 700 billion in loans by pawing personal effects, predominantly jewellery. That is a full ten times of what the Government has spent on Covid control as well as public welfare measures during the pandemic so far.
The people who have obtained these loans have done so not to party or purchase fancy goods, but to merely put food on the table. Deprived of an income, as the majority are daily wage earners, their last and only recourse to funds is to pawn their belongings, and given the economic outlook, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to retrieve their precious belongings, as the ability to repay in the short term – which is how the pawning system operates – is in serious doubt.
Last week, residents in some of the biggest residential complexes in the north of Colombo came out in protest despite the lockdown effective in that area in order to bring it to the attention of the authorities that they were starving. These people claim that no relief has been provided to them either in kind by way of the bag of food rations which has been valued at Rs. 10,000 or by way of the Rs. 5,000 cash grant. When thousands of people in the most populous area of the commercial capital are crying out to be saved from hunger, it points to systemic failure.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the same Colombo District, in Maharagama to be specific, an investigation has been launched by the District Secretary pertaining to corruption allegations on the distribution of the Rs. 10,000 ration pack. The contrast within the same district could not be starker. At a critical juncture like this, there should be zero tolerance for misconduct and those responsible for alleged corruption in Maharagama, as well as negligence and dereliction of duty in Maligawatta should be swiftly investigated and dealt with.
The other matter that requires swift resolution is the controversial issue of burying Covid victims. One must keep in mind that no individual would willingly contract this deadly virus. They fall victim through circumstances of which they have little control, other than wearing a mask and washing hands. Therefore, those who contract the virus should not be ostracised and every effort must be made to remove the stigma attached to those who fall victim to it. On the contrary, what is required on the part of the state apparatus, at least symbolically, is to offer sympathy and empathy to the victims. Matters are made worse when the State, on its own, decrees that victims should be cremated irrespective of their religious beliefs.
Last week, the United Nations representative in the country weighed in on the matter, stating that the “common assumption that people who died of a communicable disease should be cremated to prevent spread is not supported by evidence”.
For the record, it is yet to be proven that any one of the 52 million cases recorded throughout the world, up to now, has contracted the disease through contaminated groundwater, which has been the so-called scientific basis for not allowing burials in the country. To date, Sri Lanka is the only country that disallows burials of Covid victims while every other country allows it. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that the denial of this basic right has more to do with politics than science.
If the authorities are so concerned about groundwater contamination, have they looked into the steps in place to safely dispose of water used by Covid patients in remote hospitals and quarantine facilities located across the country? What about the hotels and residences where Covid patients are detected and, most importantly, the laboratories handling testing? What about the safe disposal of used swabs and test kits that could potentially contain the virus?
It is indeed a relief that sanity seems to have prevailed and the President is reported to have instructed officials to identify a suitable land for burial of Covid victims in accordance with their religious beliefs.
If the authorities take the doctor at his word, serious questions are likely to arise over the available capacity in hospitals to handle such a caseload over a short period. It also begs the question whether this 30,000, who at the moment may be asymptomatic, are going about their daily routines, oblivious to the possibility that they could be acting as super spreaders. For the good of the country, we hope the medical officer may be off the mark in his prediction, for if he were to be correct and even if just 10% of this number needed hospitalisation, then a medical crisis of formidable proportions is on the horizon.
The Head of the Covid-19 Task Force, the Army Commander, made a startling revelation saying that out of the 48 fatalities so far, only five had been attributed exclusively to the virus while the rest succumbed to complications caused by the virus on existing immuno-compromised conditions. These include heart disease, lung infections or weak lungs, diabetes, kidney or liver issues, etc. Based on this categorisation, it is likely that 75% of the population over the age of 40 suffer from some sort of pre-existing condition related to the above, thereby putting them at heightened risk in the event of contracting the virus. All such patients are likely to require intensive care treatment. Whether the country has the required infrastructure to provide such treatment is a matter for the health authorities to deal with immediately.
Over the past couple of weeks, the Government has come under heavy flak over the manner in which it has handled the evolving situation. It has done itself no good by continuing to deny that social spread has taken place, even in the face of mounting evidence of new clusters being created all over the place. As of last week, new, growing clusters have been identified in the police, the prisons, and the port in Colombo. We are at a loss to understand why the health authorities are seeking to deny the obvious when all evidence points to the contrary, with Sri Lanka now reaching the grim milestone of recording over 50 Covid-19-related deaths. It has also come to light that another 98 Sri Lankans have died of the disease overseas (at the time of writing), most notably in Saudi Arabia, while awaiting repatriation.
At the heart of the growing controversy is the manner in which the Government has handled key aspects of the crisis, such as the delay in increasing testing capacity, expansion of quarantine facilities and quality of service provided by private entities, militarising the quarantine operation to the extent that people think twice about informing the authorities when symptoms appear, ad hoc provision of relief to those without an income, corruption plaguing the relief effort, growing controversy over arbitrary cremation of deceased victims, especially Muslims and Christians, irregular repatriation of Sri Lankans abroad, appointing inexperienced individuals to key positions in the health set up, etc.
According to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Government has so far spent Rs. 70 billion on Covid control measures which include conducting PCR tests. This, however, pales into insignificance when considering the amount the lowest income sector of the population has expended just to make ends meet over the past few weeks. According to Central Bank data, people from lower income groups have obtained nearly Rs. 700 billion in loans by pawing personal effects, predominantly jewellery. That is a full ten times of what the Government has spent on Covid control as well as public welfare measures during the pandemic so far.
The people who have obtained these loans have done so not to party or purchase fancy goods, but to merely put food on the table. Deprived of an income, as the majority are daily wage earners, their last and only recourse to funds is to pawn their belongings, and given the economic outlook, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to retrieve their precious belongings, as the ability to repay in the short term – which is how the pawning system operates – is in serious doubt.
Last week, residents in some of the biggest residential complexes in the north of Colombo came out in protest despite the lockdown effective in that area in order to bring it to the attention of the authorities that they were starving. These people claim that no relief has been provided to them either in kind by way of the bag of food rations which has been valued at Rs. 10,000 or by way of the Rs. 5,000 cash grant. When thousands of people in the most populous area of the commercial capital are crying out to be saved from hunger, it points to systemic failure.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the same Colombo District, in Maharagama to be specific, an investigation has been launched by the District Secretary pertaining to corruption allegations on the distribution of the Rs. 10,000 ration pack. The contrast within the same district could not be starker. At a critical juncture like this, there should be zero tolerance for misconduct and those responsible for alleged corruption in Maharagama, as well as negligence and dereliction of duty in Maligawatta should be swiftly investigated and dealt with.
The other matter that requires swift resolution is the controversial issue of burying Covid victims. One must keep in mind that no individual would willingly contract this deadly virus. They fall victim through circumstances of which they have little control, other than wearing a mask and washing hands. Therefore, those who contract the virus should not be ostracised and every effort must be made to remove the stigma attached to those who fall victim to it. On the contrary, what is required on the part of the state apparatus, at least symbolically, is to offer sympathy and empathy to the victims. Matters are made worse when the State, on its own, decrees that victims should be cremated irrespective of their religious beliefs.
Last week, the United Nations representative in the country weighed in on the matter, stating that the “common assumption that people who died of a communicable disease should be cremated to prevent spread is not supported by evidence”.
For the record, it is yet to be proven that any one of the 52 million cases recorded throughout the world, up to now, has contracted the disease through contaminated groundwater, which has been the so-called scientific basis for not allowing burials in the country. To date, Sri Lanka is the only country that disallows burials of Covid victims while every other country allows it. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that the denial of this basic right has more to do with politics than science.
If the authorities are so concerned about groundwater contamination, have they looked into the steps in place to safely dispose of water used by Covid patients in remote hospitals and quarantine facilities located across the country? What about the hotels and residences where Covid patients are detected and, most importantly, the laboratories handling testing? What about the safe disposal of used swabs and test kits that could potentially contain the virus?
It is indeed a relief that sanity seems to have prevailed and the President is reported to have instructed officials to identify a suitable land for burial of Covid victims in accordance with their religious beliefs.