News
Prof. Malavige pleads to keep virulent coronavirus strain from S. Africa, UK out of Sri Lanka
Rathindra Kuruwita
Everything possible must be done to prevent the highly virulent COVID-19 strains from South Africa and the United Kingdom from arriving in Sri Lanka, Prof. Neelika Malavige, from the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura told the media yesterday.
Prof. Malavige said that the strain found in Sri Lanka was much less virulent than the above-mentioned strains.
“We just have to do our best to stop these strains from coming in,” she said.
She said that the Jayewardenepura University had analysed coronavirus samples from various parts of the country and had found that they all belonged to a single strain.
“We are currently analyzing the samples from Badulla where the virus is rapidly spreading,” she said
Commenting on Prof. Malavige’s claim, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island that the government had to allow the government- testing facilities at the BIA to test incoming tourists. Test labs should also be established in other airports too, he said.
“We don’t get samples at the airport. The Health Ministry has allowed businessmen to take this over. This has become a great money-making scheme for certain private sector institutions. Some so-called experts are also manipulating data to justify this practice.”
Kumudesh said that when they proposed to establish a PCR lab at the BIA, there had been a lot of resistance from certain officials of the Health Ministry and doctors that also work for private labs.
“However, the Health Secretary gave us his blessings and we established a lab within 10 days. This lab that can give PCR test report swithin one and a half hours. It can accommodate 4,500 tests per day. I don’t think that more than 1,500 people would come in a day in the coming months,” he said.
Based on the prevailing disaster situation and the upcoming festive season, arrangements have been made to provide a nutrition allowance worth Rs. 5,000 to pregnant mothers.
This allowance, which will be provided only once, will be given to pregnant mothers who were registered at maternal clinics on or before 30 November 2025.
The distribution will take place through the Divisional Secretariat offices from 16 December, as a program of the National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.
The Situation Report released by the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) at 6:00 AM today (13th December 2025) confirms that 640 persons have died and another 211 persons are missing due to flooding and landslides that took place in Sri Lanka within the past two weeks.
A meeting between representatives of UNICEF and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was held on the 10th of December at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the discussion, an initial review of the new digitalization policy draft was conducted, and it was emphasized that the new digital policy must be formulated to align with the ongoing education reforms.
The Prime Minister highlighted that the digital policy should be developed in a way that supports all five core pillars of the current education reforms, including curriculum reform, infrastructure development, and administrative restructuring.
It was further noted that the current draft is primarily focused on curriculum-related matters, and the digital policy should be structured to influence the overall education reform process.
Extensive discussions were also held on the importance of digital literacy, NEMIS, the provision of digital infrastructure, and minimizing the existing digital divide.
Attention was also drawn to the gaps in the current teacher training mechanisms , and the Prime Minister stressed the need to reduce paper usage.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives Dr. Emma Brigham and Deborah Wyburn, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary A.B.M. Ashraff, and several other officials.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Pregnant Mothers to receive Rs 5000 Nutrition Allowance in December
640 deaths, 211 missing as at 6:00AM today (13)
New Digitalization Policy draft reviewed
The government is taking steps to streamline trade facilitation, customs processes, investment approvals, and improving export facilities – Prime Minister
Showers will occur in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva, Central and North-Western provinces.
Big fossil fuel companies are responsible for climate crisis but poor countries like Sri Lanka are battered by it – Greenpeace South Asia
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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