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Many Covid-19 clusters could emerge unless…
Health expert urge public to follow health guidelines
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Professor of Community Medicine at Rajarata University and Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, Prof Suneth Agampodi, has commended the decision to reopen the most underprivileged schools. He says school reopening will help minimise inequity in education due to the pandemic.
Prof. Agampodi said that the government should continue to address the inequities rather than conducting examination.
People needed to follow COVID-19 health guidelines even if they were fully vaccinated, said Prof. Agampodi.
“We have detected infections even among fully vaccinated groups. Vaccination will not reduce disease transmission; it will only decrease disease severity. If people do not take precautions, we will definitely see the emergence of infection clusters again. The death rates would be low, and massive outbreak akin to the ones in Sri Lanka a few months ago was unlikely, he said.
However, if people did not follow the health guidelines, there would be more infections which increase the risk of viral mutation and an emergence of new variants, he said.
“Although the disease severity may be low, we will still see deaths among the elderly people, those with co-morbidities and pregnant women. The people need to realise that they need to follow basic health guidelines such as wearing face masks, physical distancing, and hand washing. If people act responsibly we will be able to enjoy freedom,” he said.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr. Kristalina Georgieva, at Temple Tress on the 17th of February
Dr. Georgieva, commended the Government’s efforts in stabilizing the country’s economy and in managing recent economic and natural shocks. She noted that Cyclone Ditwah had caused severe impacts, especially on economically vulnerable communities, underscoring the importance of targeted support and resilience-building measures.
The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the IMF’s continued support to Sri Lanka, particularly in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The PM further emphasized that real economic recovery and development must directly benefit the economically vulnerable groups and ensure inclusive growth, highlighting the need for Sri Lanka to attract quality and sustainable investments, particularly in the tourism sector.
The importance of reforming the education system to focus not only on knowledge acquisition but also on skills development and employability was also discussed
The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff of the IMF Managing Director Andreas Bauer, Director, Asia and Pacific Department, Dr. Krishna Srinivasan Division Chief (Strategic Communications), Communications Department, Pierre Mejlak Resident Representative for Sri Lanka Dr. Martha Woldemichael, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and Deputy Governor Dr. C. Amarasekara, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri and Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution forwarded by the Minister of Health and Mass Media to relocate the Deniyaya Base Hospital after constructing a new hospital with a capacity of 300 beds at an estimated cost of Rupees 6,000 million.
The Southern Provincial Department of Health has acquired a plot of land in Handford estate which is approximately 03 kilometres away from the town for this purpose.
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