Most dangerous Corona variant found in Peru expected here soon

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Sri Lanka too could expect the arrival of the most dangerous variant  of coronavirus–– Lambda, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath yesterday told the media.

Dr. Hearth said that the Lambda variant had been detected in more than 30 countries during the past four weeks. It was first found in Peru last December.

“Although Sri Lanka has stringent quarantine measures enforced at the points of entry, it is inevitable that a few people would escape detection,” he said.

Dr. Herath said that while 14 days of quarantine for those coming into the country was usually enough to detect the cases but there could be outliers that escape detection.

“However, we must remember that if we follow health guidelines, none of these variants can affect us,” he said.

Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Samitha Ginige urged the people to follow health guidelines without being lulled by a false sense of security. He added that although Sri Lanka had managed to control the spread of COVID-19, the situation could deteriorate within a week, if the public and the authorities lowered their guard.

“We were doing well in April 2021 and we lowered out guard. Soon there were thousands of cases being reported. However, we managed to get the situation under control, but at great cost. If we do not tread cautiously, we will soon face a similar situation,” he said.