by Suresh Perera

Sri Lanka’s overwhelmed public health care sector, already under tremendous pressure over galloping Covid-19 infection numbers, has raised the alarm over the possibility of the deadly Lambda variant sneaking into the country.

“We have to be on the alert”, a senior medical official cautioned, as the latest mutated variant of the coronavirus swept across 30 South American countries.

There are stringent quarantine measures in place at points of entry into the country, but there is always the possibility of some people arriving from overseas escaping detection, says Dr. Hemantha Herath, Deputy Director-General of Medical Services.

The Lambda (C.37) variant, initially identified in Peru in December 2020, now accounts for the majority of infections there. In what medical experts described as an “alarming trend”, the highly transmissible Covid-19 strain is on the rise in other South American countries, including Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil.

Dr. Herath said that all those coming to Sri Lanka from overseas are placed under 14 days mandatory quarantine, which is generally sufficient to identify positive cases. However, there could be outliers who escape detection.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) screening doesn’t translate into a 100% ‘all clear’ where the identification of the infection is concerned. That’s why there’s a follow up mandatory quarantine period, he pointed out.

“Under the circumstances, the possibility of the new strain emerging in Sri Lanka is inevitable. Therefore, we should be alert to the situation and be geared to meet any eventuality”, he stressed.

“Our laboratory sequencing has so far not detected the Lambda variant in Sri Lanka”, said Dr. Chandima Jeewandara, Director of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

He said the newest strain has already affected more than 30 countries in South America.

Asked whether the vaccines now being administered have been found effective against the Lambda variant, he replied, “that’s still not known”.

“The only way the threat of Covid-19 and its variants can be defeated is by collectively adhering to stipulated health safety guidelines”, Dr. Herath underscored.

If people tread cautiously without lowering their guard, the virus will ultimately die down as it cannot survive without human cells to multiply, another medical official said.

“Irresponsible public behavior will only help to aggravate the situation, as seen in April this year, when unrestricted inter-provincial travel, crowd gathering and merry-making during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year led to an explosive situation with infections multiplying”, he warned.

According to reports, scientists and experts see the latest Lambda variant of the virus as a fresh threat to the gains made over the last year or so.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says a variant becomes a “variant of interest” when it is identified as a cause for significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries, with increasing relative prevalence alongside the increasing number of cases over time.

Besides, such a variant also shows signs of other apparent “epidemiological impacts” to suggest an emerging risk to global public health, the world health body said.

Meanwhile. the United Kingdom health body, Public Health England (PHE), designated Lambda as a “variant under investigation” on June 23, a day after the country reported a total of six cases.