Medical specialists predict Omicron tsunami, urge public to be cautious

By Rathindra Kuruwita

It is inevitable that the Omicron variant will cause a massive wave of infection during the coming weeks, President of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) Dr. LakKumar Fernando says.

Dr. Lakkumar has said that in April 2021, many Sri Lankans ignored health guidelines and that resulted in a wave of infections, followed by an explosive spread of the Delta variant infections. Almost 15,000 people died and the hospital capacity was stretched to the limit.

“In spite of this bad experience, we note with dismay that history is repeating itself. Shops, bars, 31st night parties, etc. were jam packed. This occurred while the Omicron variant was spreading. It is, therefore, inevitable that the Omicron variant will cause a massive wave of infections during the coming weeks. The only way to tackle this wave is to get vaccinated, wear a mask, keep a safe distance, open windows for adequate ventilation, clean your hands and cough and sneeze safely,” he said.

Dr. Fernando said that Sri Lankans needed to continue to take all the above precautions even after taking vaccine doses. While almost 85% of the target population in Sri Lanka (> 16 years) have been double jabbed, two doses of AstraZeneca or Pfizer were not effective in preventing infection, especially from the Omicron variant.

“For example, a study in the UK showed that, 15 weeks after two doses of the Astra Zeneca (AZ) vaccine, protection against clinical disease became zero. The corresponding figure for Pfizer was 34%. However, a booster dose of Pfizer given to people vaccinated with 2 doses of AZ vaccine boosted the effectiveness against clinical disease to 70%. It is quite probable that the vaccines will prevent severe disease in most people,” he said.

The AMS President added that only 25% Sri Lankans in the target population had taken the booster and thus the rest were at risk of contracting Omicron. Therefore, the AMS strongly urged everyone to take the booster, in order to reduce chances of the disease, protect the vulnerable, prevent hospital capacity being overwhelmed and prevent a lockdown which could lead our country to further economic disaster.

“The Omicron variant of corona virus is spreading rapidly around the world, and has superseded the Delta variant in most countries. Even with the limited sequencing capacity available, 47 patients infected with Omicron have been detected so far in Sri Lanka. The situation in the West and South Africa shows that it spreads extremely fast. For example, Ireland recorded more Covid-19 cases over the holiday period (120,000 cases from 25 – 31 December 2021) than all of 2020 (91,779 cases), according to the country’s department of health. While Omicron is probably milder than the Delta variant, as it is transmitted much more efficiently, many more people will be infected and therefore hospital capacities may be exceeded due to the sheer number of people affected,” he said.