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Covid-19: Delta sub-lineage proliferating among youths

27 Nov 2021

  • Surge in confirmed cases could trigger travel restrictions
  • Govt.’s Covid-19 testing mechanism has failed: PHIs
  • Low-cost RAT kits needed to keep schools operational: EFSL
By Yoshitha Perera Health officials last week cautioned the public to follow health recommendations and regulations, pointing out that even those who were fully immunised were at risk of spreading the virus. Medical experts and the Government had alleged that negligence and ignorance among the public were the main factors aggravating the Covid-19 outbreak and making containment difficult. State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana told The Sunday Morning that the new sub-lineage of the Delta variant of Covid-19 identified in Sri Lanka was mostly proliferating among the country’s youths and schoolchildren. His comments came in the wake of reports from South Africa of the new highly mutated Covid-19 variant Omicron (B.1.1.529), which is suspected to have a higher resilience to the current Covid-19 vaccines. Omicron was declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday (27). Vaccinated persons display mild symptoms Prof. Jayasumana explained that the current scenario was such that those who were fully vaccinated showed symptoms of a mild cold when infected with the Covid-19 virus, while fever, headaches, and muscle soreness were the most common symptoms, according to him. “We can’t guarantee that persons who have been properly vaccinated will not contract the virus. Many persons who contract the virus have been fully immunised and only experience minor symptoms like a cold, fever, or headaches. People must follow the health recommendations in a proper manner during their daily activities,” he stated. Due to the high likelihood of the new sub-lineage of the Delta variant spreading among schoolchildren, the State Minister said that parents must advise their children to follow the health guidelines. They should ensure the children wear facemasks at all times in schools and tuition classes, maintain social distance, and wash hands frequently. Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Hemantha Herath told The Sunday Morning that as more people are vaccinated, new Covid-19 cases will still emerge, and any deaths will inevitably be of those who have received one or more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. “Once we vaccinate 100% of the population, any new patients we find will be people who have been vaccinated. Those who have been vaccinated but have inadequate immunity due to comorbidities may account for the majority of mortalities,” he opined. Dr. Herath said the health authorities may impose tight restrictions by the end of the year, predicting a spike in new cases due to the upcoming festive season. “Given the increase in public movement, it won’t be surprising if the authorities proclaim stringent travel restrictions or a lockdown during the upcoming festive season,” he said. Meanwhile, at a routine National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Task Force meeting held last Thursday (25), NOCPCO Head General and Army Commander Shavendra Silva stated: “Due attention should be given to the continued adherence to standard health protocols…without forcing the authorities to impose any lockdowns.” It was also mentioned that the vaccination programme would continue for schoolchildren along with the inoculation of the booster doses, while simultaneously educating the public on any vulnerable outbreak in the coming months during the festive season. ‘Delta sub-lineage not a cause for concern’ Meanwhile, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit Director Dr. Chandima Jeewandara told The Sunday Morning that the new sub-lineage (AY.104) of the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of the Covid-19 virus, which originated in Sri Lanka, was not a cause for concern. “The Delta variant had resulted in the emergence of approximately 100 sub-lineages. When compared to the parent Delta variant, none of them (sub-lineages) were shown to have any significant differences. As a result, I don’t expect anything different this time,” Dr. Jeewandara said. However, scientists in South Africa studying the recently identified coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 say it carries an unusually large number of mutations and is “clearly very different” from previous incarnations. The total new Covid-19 cases reported from last Monday (22) to last Friday (26) were 3,674 and total number of deaths were 131. Accordingly, on Monday (22), there were 735 new cases and 31 deaths. On Tuesday (23), there were 740 new cases and 24 deaths. On Wednesday (24), there were 745 new cases and 23 deaths. On Thursday (25), there were 740 new cases and 27 deaths, while on Friday (26), there were 714 new cases and 26 deaths. Importance of rapid antigen tests Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Health Ministry Laboratory Services Deputy Director General Dr. Sudath Dharmaratne said that health officials were conducting rapid antigen tests (RATs) based on contact tracing and the cases reported at hospitals.  “If we have five cases, then we have a lower number of RATs compared to 100 cases. We are conducting the RATs based on the contact tracing and the number of cases reported at the hospitals,” he said. He added that in addition to conducting RATs throughout the island, anyone who suspects they may be displaying Covid-19 symptoms should seek medical attention and undergo a RAT at the nearest hospital or Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office. Dr. Dharmaratne went on to say that Sri Lanka commenced RATs in November last year and that the country’s health officials had so far conducted two million RATs. “Anyone who is experiencing symptoms should visit a hospital for a check-up. “Every day, all MOH offices conduct RATs. If someone tests positive, they will be referred to a treatment facility. If persons have symptoms but the RAT test comes out negative, they will be subjected to PCR tests to further understand their situation,” Dr. Dharmaratne said. However, Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) Chairman Upul Rohana told The Sunday Morning that RATs and PCR tests were being conducted less frequently, especially in rural areas. “The current testing policy of the Government is a complete failure. Because of this method, we are unable to detect clusters early. There were no RATs under this testing policy. People can get a RAT or PCR if they fear they’ve got the virus and are experiencing symptoms, but that’s not what we need to do. To find clusters, health officials must undertake RATs around the country,” he said. Meanwhile, the Education Forum of Sri Lanka (EFSL) stressed the importance of having low-cost testing kits in order to keep schools operational. EFSL Co-ordinators Dr. Tara de Mel and Dr. Sujata Gamage issued a press release explaining how to prevent infections in schools by fully vaccinating all eligible students, teachers, and other adults; and emphasised on sanitation and distancing requirements, making a stock of low-cost RAT kits available for self-testing, and allowing school-level decision-making with oversight by the divisional MOH.


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