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Vaccine best bet against coronavirus – Medical Specialists
Securing a vaccine against COVID-19 is a matter of top priority as Sri Lanka is nearing 50,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases, Dr L.A Ranasinghe, President of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) has said.
Dr. Ranasinghe has said in a media statement: “The death toll is on the rise. Economy has received a death blow. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as several vaccines are getting lined up in the world as the only scientific battle against COVID-19. Close to 20 countries have already commenced vaccinating their population against Covid-19. Although countries differ in identifying their order of priority, they all have very clearly identified the dire need of commencing vaccination against this virus. The Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) firmly believes that vaccination is the best available solution Sri Lanka has at present to face Covid-19 along with other public health measures.”
Dr Ranasinghe said that there was a strong justification to use the vaccines currently approved in the rest of the world in our country as soon as possible. He added that it was misleading to state that these vaccines are still in the experimental stage.
“No time should be wasted to distract the vaccine effort with myths or unproven theories. The widely used vaccines that were born through extremely efficient and highly coordinated use of scientific research have also gone through stringent regulatory approvals from credible agencies which include the WHO. Further, they will have to be approved by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority too before its use in Sri Lanka. The AMS whilst appreciating the efforts of your excellency and the government for their proactive efforts, we wish to re-iterate the need for a well-coordinated and an efficient mechanism to speed up the process of securing the vaccine/s at this hour of need. We are aware of the global competition for securing the doses they need. It could be disastrous to entrust the total responsibility with regard to securing this to individuals or officials who function at a snail’s pace.”
Excerpts of the media statement: “We wish to alert authorities that some may adopt delaying tactics deliberately for various reasons. Some officials in the Ministry of health have track records for ‘delays’ in many tasks they were assigned in the past. Sri Lanka stands out in the world map for our strong public health services and that has beaten even many developed countries, with our vaccine coverage and acceptance being among the best in the world. With the high literacy rate and efficient public health network, mass vaccination is nothing new to our health services. Being an island with secure borders and a population of only 21 million, we are a country where vaccinating the entire eligible population including the country’s total work force on a priority order is a realistic and feasible option. It is also a worthwhile investment, not only for health but also the economic benefits it will deliver. This will place us in a unique situation, with our ability to fully open the country where factories and tourism and our economy can jump ahead of many others, making Sri Lanka one of the safest countries in the world to travel and to deal with. It is best that we take advantage of our unique circumstances. For the best outcome, extreme efficiency is a must and we will need top officials with a proven track record handing our vaccine effort.”
“The AMS wishes to propose that we resort to a multi-pronged effort to reach success fast. It should include prompt and efficient response in obtaining the free quota of vaccines offered for 20% of our population through the COVAX facility, negotiating with various sources and countries to obtain or buy more doses to cover the balance population, and permitting and facilitating the private sector also to import, distribute and vaccinate, with state monitoring to help effective coverage of the population who could afford the vaccine privately. AMS will extend its maximum support to make this effort a grand success.”
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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and showers about 50-75 mm in other areas
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
The depression over the Bay of Bengal, located to the southeast of Sri Lanka, was centered near latitude 5.3°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 490 km southeast of Pottuvil, at 11:30 p.m. yesterday (07). It is expected to move west-northwestwards and towards the eastern coast of the island during next 24 hours. This system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours.
Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the Island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Fairly Heavy showers about (50 – 75) mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.
Strong winds about (50-60) kmph can be expected at times over the Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that information uncovered during ongoing investigations indicated that Pulasthini Mahendran, also known as Sara Jasmine, linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, was not dead.
Responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Mujibur Rahuman, the Minister said there was no confirmation that Sara Jasmine was currently in India, despite speculation to that effect. He added that investigators suspected she may have fled the country and stressed that further inquiries were underway to establish her whereabouts.
“If necessary, the government will take steps to obtain a warrant,” Wijepala said, noting that legal action related to the Easter attacks had already been initiated, based on available evidence.
Minister Wijepala said the new government had launched an thorough probe to determine whether a political or other conspiracy had been behind the attacks that killed more than 270 people in 2019. However, he declined to disclose certain details in Parliament, citing the risk of hampering investigations.
Sara Jasmine, Mohammed Hashtun, who bombed St. Sebastian’s Church, in Katuwapitiya, in 2019, was long presumed to have died in a suicide blast in Sainthamaruthu, days after the attacks. Wijepala said attempts by previous administrations to establish her death had failed, with recent reports indicating that DNA tests conducted at the time were inconclusive.
During the debate, MP Rahuman recalled that senior figures, including then-Opposition MP Nalinda Jayatissa, had previously claimed Sara Jasmine was in India. He questioned why authorities had not sought an open warrant for her arrest whether the issue had been raised in talks with Indian officials.
Wijepala, responding on behalf of Deputy Minister of Defence Arun Jayasekara, said the government would not hesitate to pursue legal action, including warrants, if necessary.
By Saman Indrajith
The Chief of the Indian Army Staff (COAS), General Upendra Dwivedi arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (07). On arrival, the COAS was accorded a Guard of Honour by the Sri Lanka Army.
The Indian HC said that: “He will engage with senior military and civil leadership, including the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Deputy Minister of Defence and the Defence Secretary; and hold detailed discussions on matters of mutual interest, including training cooperation, capacity building and regional security.
During the visit, the COAS will address officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) and interact with officers and trainees at the Army War College, Buttala, reflecting India’s strong commitment to defence education and professional military exchanges with Sri Lanka.
General Dwivedi will also pay homage at the IPKF War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of Indian soldiers.”
General Dwivedi arrived here from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he attended several events during 05 to 06 January.
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