A woman walks along a deserted street after the government imposed travel restrictions and weekend lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Colombo on May 22, 2021. (ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP)
As Sri Lanka struggles under the weight of a “lethal” variant of the coronavirus and the consequent surge of infections, the public has been more eager to get vaccinated than in the past.
In the past week, long queues were seen outside many centers in the island country recently where China's Sinopharm vaccines are being administered. Perera, a local employee told reporters that it was worth for him to wait for three hours to enter the center as he would get vaccinated.
More Sinopharm vaccines are expected to be delivered to the country, according to the presidential office.
Sri Lanka began using the Sinopharm vaccine in Kalutara, in the south of Colombo, one of the hardest hit areas on May 8. Since then, Sinopharm has become the main vaccine to be used in the island country
Sri Lanka began using the Sinopharm vaccine in Kalutara, in the south of Colombo, one of the hardest hit areas on May 8. Since then, Sinopharm has become the main vaccine to be used in the island country. On May 13, the government decided to expand the range of people vaccinated with Sinopharm to those over the age of 60 who did not have complications from other diseases.
The country is using different brands of COVID-19 vaccines. A leading expert said “Sinopharm compares well to all vaccines” such as Covishield and Sputnik V.
Channa Jayasumana, state minister of pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation, said at the launch of the vaccination program that the Sinopharm vaccines will help the Sri Lankan government achieve its goal of vaccination.
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The government has said it aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its 21.4 million population by the end of this year. Sri Lanka started a mass vaccination drive on Jan 29 and has vaccinated over 1.5 million citizens by May 18, according to official figures from the Health Ministry.
According to health officials, Sri Lanka has witnessed a high number of deaths from the virus in recent weeks due to a rapid spread of a new variant of the virus which has left hospitals and intensive care units filled to its capacity.
Sri Lanka's total death toll from the COVID-19 virus reached 1,178 by the morning of May 23 as the country recorded its highest single-day death toll of 46 deaths in the last 24 hours. In the 24-hour report as of May 23, the island country logged over 2,909 daily new cases, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases to 161,242, according to Sri Lanka’s health ministry data.
The new variant has now become airborne with health authorities urging people to remain indoors as much as possible and to wear masks when leaving homes.
As over 50,000 people have been infected with the virus within the past one month alone, Sri Lankan authorities on Friday imposed an islandwide travel restriction, similar to a curfew, to prevent a further spread of the virus. Only essential workers, medical workers, food trucks, pharmacies and food deliveries would be able to operate. The travel restriction will be lifted on May 25 at 4 am but will be imposed again on May 25 at 11 pm and will be lifted on May 28 at 4 am.
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Police said over 20,000 police officers had been deployed on the road during the travel restriction to ensure people remain indoors.
On May 19, the government said that arrival of all incoming passengers into the island country would be suspended from May 21 midnight to May 31.
Sudarshani Fernandopulle, state minister of primary health care, epidemics and COVID disease control, said the best way to protect the country from the COVID-19 virus was to vaccinate the people.
Sri Lanka had reportedly received the stock of the WHO-approved Sinopharm vaccines on March 31, but the government’s green light came as late as May 8. There is a “six-week delay” in administering 600,000 Chinese Sinopharm vaccines.
“This is based on published data,” Neelika Malavige, Head of Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayawardanapura at Nugegoda a suburb of Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka, said.
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“The main limitations are lack of vaccines to roll out our vaccination programs at the speed we would want to roll it out,” she said. “All vaccines are equally good in preventing severe disease and death, even with these different variants,” she added.
Epidemiologist Tanmay Mahapatra echoed Malavige, saying, “What matters most is promptness and maximization of resources.”
Malavige, who runs the only lab that sequences SARS-CoV-2 genomes in the country, told China Daily that the main reason for the surge is the introduction and rapid spread of the B.1.1.7, a COVID variant first found in the United Kingdom. “What we see now was experienced by all other countries when B.1.1.7 was introduced,” she said.
B.1.1.7 is a much more transmissible variant than found so far in the island and the droplets can remain in air for about an hour, she said.
“It has higher transmissibility – approximately 50 percent more – and also higher mortality rates. One reason for the increase in mortality is also because of the rapid rise in case numbers, which leads to the healthcare being overwhelmed,” said Malavige who is also on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID).
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In her view, B.1.1.7 was an important cause for the surge in some Indian states such as Delhi. “But I understand that B.1.617.2 has displaced the B.1.1.7 in most states and become the dominant variant,” Malavige said.
“I do hope we also won't get the B.1.617.2, but given the close proximity, it would be extremely difficult to keep it away,” she said.
Epidemiologist Tanmay Mahapatra agreed, saying, given the second wave sweeping across India. “It’s time for all neighbouring countries to read the writing on the wall” and act accordingly, and promptly.
“While over the past one and a half years we have seen India grimly struggling to curb the surge in two separate spans, neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal are also feeling the heat,” Mahapatra said.
In contrast, Bhutan, another neighbour, has responded well with a formidable success, he said. Only one COVID death has been reported so far.
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While initially, Sri Lanka’s response showed better results – the second threatens to spell a disaster, Mahapatra said. “Rapid and widespread gene sequencing along with mass community surveillance system must be in place everywhere in this subcontinent at the earliest.”
“All our neighbours need to keep a close eye on the cross-border transmission of newer strains and variants foreign to their respective soil – through random gene sequencing from travellers, home-returnees and migrants,” he said.
Economy hit
According to the country’s central bank, Sri Lanka, whose economy contracted by 3.6 percent last year, has witnessed the worst economic downturn since its independence in 1948.
“Sri Lanka faced a bad situation in 2019, with the Easter bombings which significantly affected our economy. Then COVID-19 happened in 2020. So, the economy has been hit badly in three consecutive years. I think the policymakers are having a hard time balancing the economy and health,” Malavige, of the University of Sri Jayawardanapura said.
“If you don't take necessary action on time to curb the outbreak, it can not only have devastating consequences to human life, but to the economy as well,” she warned, underscoring the importance of ramping up “our sequencing to make sure we detect these variants in the community as soon as possible”.
There is also a growing demand for fighting the pandemic on a war-footing. Law-maker Harshana Rajakaruna has said the government should consider deploying retired medical staff.
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The country’s health department has however asked its citizens not to panic but has advised them to strictly follow COVID-19 protocols such as using face masks and ensuring social distancing.
Epidemiologist Tanmay Mahapatra advised people to follow COVID guidelines.
“It is time to put all our money, energy and resources to saving human lives,” he said, adding that collaborative preparedness is the need of the hour.
“Let all the countries in the region join hands by way of resource pooling, equipment supply, health infrastructure development, vaccination supply and risk-mitigation drives,” Mahapatra said.
Xinhua contributed to the story.
Arunava Das is a freelancer journalist for China Daily.