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COVID vaccine phobia in lanka might be a serious problem in the next Pandemic
By Rathindra Kuruwita
COVID vaccine phobia was still prevalent among the people and this might cause serious issues in a future pandemic unless it is addressed, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) said during a seminar in Colombo this week.
The seminar was organised by the Institute of Health Policy (IHP) to publicize the findings from the Gates Ventures Johns Hopkins University, and IHP study on the Sri Lanka’s health system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to study results of vaccination and look at case studies and present to people. There is vaccine hesitancy in the community” he said.
Dr. Nilmini Wijemunige, Research Associate of IHP, said that there was a high demand for the Pfizer vaccine at the outset of the vaccination process.IHP contacted a large number of people who had not been vaccinated by mid-2021, and the overwhelming majority of them wanted the Pfizer vaccine, she said.
However, there was reduced interest in getting the Pfizer booster a year later. This was probably due to the reduced anxiety about the virus and because preventive messaging was for a long period was to take two doses to create adequate immunity, she said.
President of The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said that there was a strong element of trust in the medical system initially and thus there was little vaccine hesitancy among Sri Lankans.
“There was also widespread fear among the people initially about COVID. But there was vaccine hesitancy by the time we started on the boosters. Six million doses of Pfizer was wasted because people didn’t come forth,” he said.
Christine Perera of People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients said there were virtually no programmes to ensure the wellbeing of the elders during the pandemic.
“Sometime after curfew was declared I got in touch with all relevant authorities supposed to be in charge of the elderly and disabled. As you know many elderly live alone, there are many authorities looking after the welfare of elderly and disabled and I inquired if there were any special programmes established to ensure the wellbeing of the elderly. Other than asking those to stay at home there was no assistance whatsoever. Ms Perera asked what is the mandate of those in authority and what role did they play during covid-19.”
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (07) presented its flagship publication, the Annual Economic Review for 2024 (AER 2024), to President and Minister of Finance, Anura Kumara Disanayake, highlighting the steady progress of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery following the country’s most severe downturn in recent history.
The report was officially handed over by Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of the Central Bank, during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.
AER 2024 comprises four main chapters: Macroeconomic Developments, Conditions of the Financial System, Review of Central Bank’s Policies and Macroeconomic Outlook.
According to the Review, the Sri Lankan economy showed significant signs of recovery in 2024, following the deep economic crisis experienced two years ago. The recovery trajectory, though challenging, has been notably faster than that of many other debt-distressed countries.
Improvements in economic activity, a partial resurgence in purchasing power and reduced uncertainty are among the key positive indicators noted in the report.
The event was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, K. M. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury, Mrs. K. M. A. N. Daulagala, Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. C. Amarasekara, Assistant Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) S. Jegajeevan, Director of Economic Research and Dr. L. R. C. Pathberiya and Additional Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank Dr. V. D. Wickramarachchi.
[PMD]
Latest News
The sun will be directly overhead Colombo, Awissawella, Talawakelle, Dimbula, Galakumbura and Dambagalla at about 12:12 noon today [07]
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 14th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (07th) are Colombo, Awissawella, Talawakelle, Dimbula, Galakumbura and Dambagalla at about 12:12 noon.
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