News

Vaccination alone not a magic bullet to end pandemic

Published

3 years ago

2021/09/2

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Vaccination was not a silver bullet, and it had to be supplemented by other initiatives to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Manuj Weerasinghe, Head of the Department of Community Medicine, University of Colombo, said.

Boosting immunity was vital for overcoming any virus, and vaccine played a big role in the fight against COVID-19, he said. However, vaccines alone were not the only way to overcome the pandemic, the Professor said.

“If we think we can get out through this crisis by vaccination alone, we won’t do the other initiatives needed, we won’t educate the people on what they really need to do, in fact we will give people the wrong idea that everything is good after getting vaccinated. Vaccination is important. It’s very clear that it saves lives and reduced the severity of the disease. However, vaccination won’t stop you getting infected or spreading it to others,” he said.

Prof. Weerasinghe said that the role and purpose of the vaccination was not properly understood by the people and when they got infected, after getting double jabbed, they assumed that the vaccine they had taken was not effective.

“This is why some people say on social media that they got the X vaccine and still they got COVID. They then go on to discredit the vaccine they had taken. This is bad for everyone. The government needs to communicate properly. Because of our over reliance on vaccine, both policy makers and the people are not doing what is needed to stop the pandemic,” he said.

Meanwhile Professor Chrishantha Abeysena, Senior Professor Department of Public Health, University of Kelaniya said when the decision to lockdown was taken too late; more time was needed to open the country again.

“As with everything in life, we have to make the call at the right time. I think everyone agrees that at least two weeks is needed for a lockdown to have some effect. However just because we imposed a lockdown doesn’t mean that things are going to work out fine, especially given that we are not seeing a strict lockdown,” he said.

Prof. Abeysena said that the government had to increase testing because there was community spread. Those infected needed to be found, they needed to be isolated along with their first contacts, he said.

“If we do this, we can get the pandemic under control. There is a WHO protocol on lockdowns and given that there is a community spread, the pandemic had become a social issue too. Hospital capacity is still a big problem,” he said,

Prof. Abeysena added that Sri Lanka now needed to figure out how it could operate after the lockdowns were lifted. The policy makers should come up with systems and protocols and communicate effectively with the general public, he said.

“If we don’t do this, there is no point in extending the lockdown even for another month. We also need to do testing and isolation. If we do this the numbers will drop and the health staff will get a breather. However, we must ensure that there are practical protocols after we open up. We are now at a disaster stage, although we had time to get ready. We have 18 months of living with the virus and we need to start learning lessons,” he said.

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South Korea MPs vote to impeach president after mass protests over martial law

Published

6 hours ago

2024/12/14

Priyan

South Korean MPs have voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol as thousands of protesters on the streets of Seoul cheer the result

A total of 204 MPs approved the motion to impeach Yoon, who plunged the country into political turmoil with a short-lived martial law declaration last week

Yoon will be suspended while the prime minister will serve as acting president. The constitutional court now has six months to rule on the impeachment.Yoon survived an impeachment vote last weekend and has clung to power, despite mounting calls for him to step down He and and his allies are currently under investigation for insurrection charges, and a travel ban has been slapped on several of them

(BBC)

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Indian High Commissioner meets PM

Published

9 hours ago

2024/12/14

Priyan

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, called on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday [13].

The meeting underscored the longstanding friendship and strategic partnership between the two neighboring nations and discussions centered on the progress of numerous bilateral projects, which are currently at various stages of development.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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Govt. buckles under pressure: Speaker Ranwala resigns

Published

14 hours ago

2024/12/14

Thilina Walpola

Asoka Sapumal Ranwala

Asoka Sapumal Ranwala resigned as Speaker of Parliament yesterday amidst a controversy over his educational qualifications. The Opposition challenged him to prove his claim that he had a doctorate.

Ranwala has said in a statement that he never misrepresented his educational qualifications but he currently lacks documentary evidence to prove his academic credentials. He insists that he was awarded a doctorate by a research institute affiliated with Waseda University in Japan and has expressed hope of presenting the degree certificate in the future.

“However, given the confusion surrounding this issue and to avoid causing embarrassment to those who trusted and voted for this government, I have decided to resign from the position of Speaker for the time being,” Ranwala has said in his statement.

His resignation followed indications that MPs from the JVP/NPP government were preparing to make a significant decision on a no-confidence motion against him, centred on the legitimacy of his academic qualifications. The motion was prompted by ongoing doubts about the authenticity of his doctoral degree, particularly in the absence of clarification.

Sources within the NPP confirmed earlier on Friday that Ranwala was expected to address the controversy with a special statement when Parliament reconvenes on Tuesday (17). However, he announced his resignation yesterday evening (13).

Kalutara District SJB MP Ajith P. Perera told the media on Thursday that either the Speaker or the JVP/NPP government must clarify the matter regarding Ranwala’s doctorate. He asserted that if the Speaker genuinely holds a valid doctorate, there would be no issue. However, the lack of response to media inquiries and the removal of degree-related information from the parliamentary website raised further concerns.

Perera added that the Speaker should provide evidence of his qualifications within two weeks, failing which the Opposition would proceed with the no-confidence motion. He also suggested that the JVP/NPP MPs would face public scrutiny in their decision to either support or oppose the motion, testing their commitment to party lines against public expectations.

The National Democratic Front (NDF), led by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, proposed the establishment of a parliamentary committee to verify the academic qualifications of all MPs, including the Speaker and Cabinet Ministers. This initiative seeks to address increasing concerns about the credibility of MPs’ qualifications.

Meanwhile, the SLPP announced its intention to introduce a separate no-confidence motion against Ranwala. Speaking at a press conference in Colombo, Hambantota District MP D.V. Chanaka criticised the Speaker, arguing that the issue undermines public confidence in Parliament. Chanaka further highlighted the Speaker’s responsibility as head of the Parliamentary Council and the Committee on High Offices, which oversees the verification of qualifications for key positions.

SLPP Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam also addressed the press, emphasising the importance of the Speaker’s academic qualifications in upholding the integrity of Parliament.