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Don’t panic about Sri Lankan sub lineage: Dr. Chandima Jeewandara

21 Nov 2021

  • Dr. Jeewandara says none of the sub lineage had any sinister differences from Delta
BY Pamodi Waravita The University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ) Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit Director Dr. Chandima Jeewandara said yesterday (21) that there is no need for panic or alarm about the new sub lineage (AY.104) of the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of the Covid-19 virus which originated from Sri Lanka. “There have been about 100 sub lineages which have emerged from the Delta variant. However, none of them have proven to have any sinister differences when compared with the parent Delta variant. Thus, I do not expect this to be any different. It is not necessary to be alarmed or worried about it,” Dr. Jeewandara told The Morning yesterday. He said that there are now two sub lineages of the Delta variant which had originated from Sri Lanka – AY.28 and AY.104. “AY.28 was identified in May this year. We cannot assess the virus’ behaviour in Sri Lanka as we do not have the necessary lab facilities for the assessment. Samples of AY.28 were sent to Hong Kong for further analysis,” said Dr. Jeewandara. He added that although the AY.104 sub lineage was first identified in June, it was only named this month as a sub lineage is only named after a few months and when it is continuously identified from a certain area or cluster. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified four variants of concern (VOC) – the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants. The Delta variant wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka over the past few months, crippling the hospital system and leading to a high number of deaths within a short time period.


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