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New variant: Talks tomorrow on the need for islandwide lockdown
View(s):No decision has been taken on an island-wide lockdown amidst a rising number of COVID-19 cases due to the new variant but the issue will be discussed tomorrow when the National Operations Centre meets, according to officials.
“No decision on a lockdown has been taken so far. The matter is due to be taken up tomorrow for discussion by the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak,” said Police Spokesman and Deputy Inspector General Ajith Rohana. The Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services I, Dr. Hemantha Herath said the Epidemiology Unit was studying the situation and would decide on the course of action which should be taken.
With Valentine’s Day today and a long weekend on the cards end-February, DIG Rohana said that as yet, the normal quarantine and disease control regulations would be applied.
Dr. Herath cautioned everyone to strictly adhere — “more than 100%” — to the health precautions of mask-wearing, social-distancing and hand-washing, while avoiding mass gatherings which could lead to a super-spreader event.
With regard to the UK variant (B.1.1.7), he said that though it spreads fast, it does not cause more severe infection than the strains that are circulating in the country already. This is why to break the disease transmission chain, adherence to the preventive measures is essential.
On Friday, Sri Jayewardenepura University researchers performed genetic sequencing on a large number of samples (92) collected from December 30 onwards and found the UK variant in several areas.
“Our data show that this B.1.1.7 variant was in the community in Colombo as early as December 30. Therefore, it is most likely to have been introduced somewhere in early or mid-December, with the most likely source being a returnee from overseas,” said Prof. Neelika Malavige, Head of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Sciences, of the university, adding that now “we see this variant in many areas in Sri Lanka”.
She said the rise in the number of cases, especially in the recent weeks, was likely to be due to the spread of this variant, as this was 50 percent more transmissible than the earlier variants. “Therefore, we need to quickly assess the situation and take action accordingly. The currently approved vaccines (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna) are effective against the B.1.1.7 variant and that is quite reassuring,” Prof. Malavige added.