Sri Lankan politicians perform black magic to defeat coronavirus

Eliyantha White, second from left

Three Sri Lankan Ministers performed a secret ritual to defeat the coronavirus  fast-spreading in Sri Lanka, according to a video going viral on social media. 

Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi was seen throwing a clay pot including unknown thing into River Kaluganga over a bridge in Ratnapura. 

Similarly, Ministers Udaya Gammanpila and Prasanna Ranathunga threw pots into River Kelani respectively from Colombo and Gampaha. 

A person claimed to be Eliyantha White, a doctor or a healer treating Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa threw the other pot into River Madu from Kodduwa area. He is believed the organiser of this unknown ritual. The doctor's qualifications are also similarly unknown although he is named in this video as a royal physician. 

A gossip website close to the government said that the pot contained water with some kind of power invoked to them by the magic doctor

40-year-old man died at Welisara hospital as 21st COVID-19 deceased

Sri Lanka's 21st COVID-19 death occurred today from Welisala Chest Hospital. The deceased is a 40-year male resident of Mahara who suffered from high blood pressure and respiratory issues.

His COVID-19 condition proved in the PCR test conducted posthumously. 

He has been treated in the hospital for eight days after admission on 23rd October 2020. 

Sri Lanka suspends travel between districts

Sri Lanka has decided to suspend travel between districts except for essential services. The decision was announced after a discussion with the Presidential Task Force on the Prevention of COVID-19  

Addressing the participants of the discussion, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the government's policy of quarantining the COVID-19 suspected persons at home was successful. 

At a discussion held at the President's office today, the President advised to further enhance the programme with the monitoring of Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Inspector, police and Army. 

PCR tests are carried out on the 10th day of the quarantine period and the healthy persons will be sent back to normal life after 14 days. 

The President further advised all persons who had undergone PCR tests either public or private sectors to be placed under quarantine until the report is received.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa advised officials to strictly impose isolation and curfew measures to control the spread of the disease. 

Chief of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival Basil Rajapska said that essential commodities would be distributed as it was done in the previous curfew time. 

The monthly allowance of the elderly persons would be delivered to their homes, Basil Rajapaksa said. 

The curfew in the entire Western Province will be effective until 5 a.m. on November 9th. The same curfew is valid to Eheliyagoda police division in Ratnapura district, Kurunegala Municipal Council area and Kuliyapitiya police division in Kurunegala district. 

Police were ordered not to issue curfew permits during this period. 

Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Ramesh Pathirana, State Ministers Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Channa Jayasumana and Seetha Arambepola and President's Secretary Lalith Weerathunga also participated in the discussion with the members of the Presidential Task Force on the Prevention of COVID-19.

Curfew in the Western Province of Sri Lanka extended until November 9th

Army Commander of Sri Lanka Major General Shavendra Silva announced at 4 p.m. today that the government had decided to extend curfew in the Western Province after considering the prevailing situation in the Province. 

Accordingly, the curfew in the entire Western Province will be effective until 5 a.m. on November 9th. 

The same curfew is valid to Eheliyagoda police division in Ratnapura district, Kurunegala Municipal Council area and Kuliyapitiya police division in Kurunegala district.  

The government asked people not to engage in panic buying and fleeing from the Western Province before the curfew was imposed Thursday midnight. 

A post-surgical breast care cushion to be supplied to cancer-survived women in Sri Lanka

Breast cancer and Cervical cancer are the most common types of cancer among women in Sri Lanka. Following breast surgery, women are reluctant to move their arm due to pain and also being frightened that the surgical site will be subject to trauma.  

Ann Selle of the Botany Bay Zonta Club in Australia developed and pioneered the Post Surgery Breast Cushion. The Zonta Breast Care Cushion (shown in the image) aids recovery by allowing the woman to sit, sleep and rest comfortably, as well as by preventing hurt from bumps while walking around and any discomfort from wearing seat belts.  

About 2% of breast cancers occur in men, and the Zonta Breast Care Cushion is certainly provided to men on request, says Zonta International on their website. 

The cushion can be worn after surgery to provide pain relief as well as a physical and emotional comfort to women. Free movement of the arm helps reduce lymphoedema (swelling in the arm following removal of the breast and lymph nodes in the armpit) which is a post-surgical complication. 

To mark the significance of breast cancer awareness month, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sri Lanka supported Zonta club 11 to recommence regular supply of breast cushions in Sri Lanka. UNFPA Sri Lanka Country Representative Ms. Ritsu Nacken handed over the aid to Zonta Club President Ms. Meneka Galgamuwa.

According to WHO, breast cancer is the cause of over 18% of female deaths in Sri Lanka. 

Photo: Left to right - Consultant Venereologist, Dr Sujatha Samarakoon, Director at the Zonta Club II Board- Ms. Shyama Perera, Zonta Club President Ms. Meneka Galgamuwa, UNFPA Country Representative in Sri Lanka, Ms. Ritsu Nacken,  UNFPA Sri Lanka Assistant Representative Ms. Madusha Dissanayake

PCR machine might be malfunctioning in Colombo East Base Hospital due to unstable operation desk - Chinese embassy

The Chinese embassy tweeted "laboratory environment e.q. operation desk unstable might be the cause" for the malfunctioning of the PCR machine in Colombo East Base Hospital in Mulleriyawa. 

Chinese embassy further clarified that the laboratory was built in June under an urgent basis with technical support from China. The machine was used for 26,000 PCR tests before it started to malfunction. 

Chinese Company BGI Genomics installed the machine in June. 

Government sources say that the malfunctioning PCR machine in Colombo East Base Hospital is being repaired and will re-start tests on Monday 2nd November 2020. 

While Sri Lanka is facing capacity issues of conducting adequate PCR tests, about 15,000 PCR test kits have been expired without using, Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) pointed out. 

Assistant Secretary of GMOA, Dr. Naveen de Soyza said that 24 institutes of the public sector have failed to reach the level of 10,000 tests per day while a single institute in the private sector conducts over 1,200 tests per day. 

However, Dr. Asela Gunawardana, Director-General of Health Services said that the government institutes have the capacity of conducting about 10,000 PCR tests daily. 

Photo: The unstable operation desk on which the PCR machine is kept in Colombo East Base Hospital is seen in the photo issued by the Chinese embassy. 

Coronavirus spread in Sri Lanka now identified as SARS-CoV2 B.1.42

A research team led by Prof. Neelika Malavige of Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences of Sri Jayawardanepura University has reported to the Ministry of Health that the type of coronavirus spreading in the second wave of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka is different from the virus spread in the first wave in the country.

A team led by the same professor identified the type A virus in Sri Lanka through research carried out in April 2020. 

The SARS-CoV2 virus is categorised into three types as A, B and C. Type A is common in the US and Australia. Type B spread mostly in Wuhan, China and Type C spread mostly in Europe. 

The virus spread in the second wave has been identified as B.1.42. Secretary to the Ministry of Health Major General Sanjiva Munasinghe said to media that the virus is different from the Kandakadu cluster which comprised of other variants of the type B virus. The SARS-CoV2  B.1.42 virus is spreading faster than the previous types, the official said. 

Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said to media that the research commissioned by the Ministry of Health has identified that the virus spread throughout the country is different from the previous type. However, the virus found in various parts of the island is the same. 

Update: Dr. Chandima Jeewandara of the research team said to media that 16 samples from various geographical areas were tested and 13 of them were accurately sequenced. "Accordingly, it was observed that the type of virus traced was the same. Various types of SARS-Cov2 viruses were discovered in Sri Lanka since March up to now. The presently spreading virus is similar to the type of virus identified in Denmark and Sweden. This is the first time it was recorded in Sri Lanka. The viral load is high and spreads fast. However, we have no knowledge about the death rate of the infection", Dr. Jeewandara said.