WHO to provide COVID-19 vaccination to 20% of Sri Lankans

WHO has agreed to vaccinate about 20% against COVID-19, Sri Lanka Ministry of Health said in a press release. However, vaccination for COVID-19 immunity is yet to be invented. 

The press release said that WHO agreed to this at a discussion held at the Ministry of Health. Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana, WHO representative to Sri Lanka Dr. Razia Pendse, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Major General Dr. Sanjiva Munasinghe and Director General of Health Dr. Aseka Gunawardane participated in this discussion. 

A special committee was appointed by the Minister of Health to study and plan logistics for the immunization process. 

WHO website says, "Many potential vaccines for COVID-19 are being studied, and several large clinical trials may report results later this year. If a vaccine is proven safe and effective, it must be approved by national regulators, manufactured to exacting standards, and distributed. WHO is working with partners around the world to help coordinate key steps in this process. Once a safe and effective vaccine is available, WHO will work to facilitate equitable access for the billions of people who will need it."

However, WHO further says, "We don’t yet know exactly when a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will be ready for distribution, but we estimate that it could be in early to mid-2021."

Read more in WHO website about COVID-19 vaccine. 

(Photo: WHO)

Sri Lanka government leaders making contradictory statements without working as a team - opposition accuse

Sri Lanka major opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) MP Hesha Vithanage said that the government has dropped the responsibility of control the second wave of COVID-19. He said that the government leaders and the officials are making contradictory statements without working as a team. 

Addressing a press briefing held in the office of the Opposition Leader, he accused that the Brandix company has not followed the quarantine regulations regarding their employees who were from India, according to his information. 

He further said that patients are afraid of the authorities because of the overuse of military and police powers. Therefore, the patients evade the authorities and sometimes die at home. He urged the government to change the policies regarding the control of COVID-19 for the benefit of the people. 

He said that the government was trying to strictly impose regulations without providing solutions to the problems to social problems like public transport and waste of farmers' and fishermen's products at the market. The government has failed even before the rice millers through their ineffective gazettes on controlling the price of rice. He further said that an institute of which the management was very close to the Rajapaksa family had made the return of the expatriate workers a usurping business. Similarly, the government has made COVID-19 also a business, he charged.  

MP Hesha Vithanage accused that the government was not managing the solutions for the problems because there was no election nearby. He said that the SJB would question in the parliament the insufficient allocation of funds for the Ministry of Health amidst ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through the appropriation bill. 

Supreme Court orders the government and police to pay Rs. 200,000 as damage for torturing a soldier

Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ordered the Officer-in-Charge of Hettipola police station and the Crime Officer-in-Charge of the same police station to pay Rs. 50,000 each personally as the damage for violating the human rights of a soldier.

Additionally, the government was ordered to pay another Rs. 100,000 as damage.  

The two officials arrested the soldier in July 2011 suspecting he had been an Army deserter and tortured him. His mother submitted a letter that stated he had legally resigned from the Army. But police continued to torture him and he was remanded for five months. 

The victim is Don Samantha Kumara. The judgment was delivered by a panel of Supreme Court judges comprising Priyantha Jayawardana, L.T.B. Dehideniya and S. Thurairajah. 

Hospital transport bus driver found dead; suspected of suicide in fear of corona

The wife of a bus driver of Sri Lanka who was found dead near his house yesterday (Nov 08) said that her husband might have committed suicide by hanging himself due to fear of coronavirus.  

The driver of state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board transported hospital staff to Nagoda General Hospital of Kalutara during the curfew in the past week. The wife said that he had been in trauma after one person who travelled on the bus had been positive for COVID-19. 

"He was in fear that he would contact the virus and often talked about it," the wife of the deceased said.

The dead man is a 56 years old resident of Yatiyana, Agalawatta. 

Editorial opinion:

Contact tracing and other measures of Sri Lankan military, police and public health officials covered by media cause mental stress among some people and a more sensitive approach is required. Government has already changed policies regarding quarantine and all associates are self-quarantined at home now. However, the draconian actions previously followed are fixed in the minds of the people. Health authorities must attend to this issue immediately.   

Call 1926 from any telephone for help when anyone needs mental health support. It is the toll-free National Mental Health Helpline of the Ministry of Health.  

2,869 new cases and 14 deaths during the curfew week in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka recorded a steady increase of COVID-19 cases and deaths within the past week. 2,869 cases were reported during the period between November 2 and 8 while 14 deaths occurred during this period. 

Meanwhile, 3,382 persons were reported recovered during the period between November 2 and 8. 

The entire Western Province was under curfew during this period. The vast majority of these cases and all the deaths were reported from the Western Province. 

However, during the week's period immediately before that (October 26 to November 1) 3,188 cases were reported. Recoveries during the same period were 1,102. Five deaths occurred during this period.

Factory workers allowed to enter into COVID-19 isolated areas in Sri Lanka

Listening to the request of the export industries, Sri Lanka government gave permission to the employees of the factories to enter into the isolated areas. 

Accordingly, the employees of factories permitted by the Board of Investment and Export Development Board can enter into the factories in the isolated areas following strict health regulations. 

The staff of essential services also can enter into the isolated areas.

However, the public transport buses and trains do not have permission to stop in isolated areas to take ad drop passengers. 

LPL 2020 match schedule released; all matches Hambanthota

Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 cricket tournament will start at 7.30 P.M. on November 26. Colombo will play against Kandy at Mahinda Rajapaksa Internationa Cricket Stadium in Hambanthota (MRICS). 

All matches will be played in Hambanthota where COVID-19 penetration is less. 

The final match will be played on  December 16th at 7.30 p.m.

Schedule Of LPL 2020:

Date	Team 1	Team 2	Time	Venue
26-Nov	Colombo	Kandy	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
27-Nov	Jaffna	Galle	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
28-Nov	Kandy	Dambulla	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
28-Nov	Galle	Colombo	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
30-Nov	Dambulla	Jaffna	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
30-Nov	Kandy	Galle	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
01-Dec	Colombo	Dambulla	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
01-Dec	Jaffna	Kandy	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
03-Dec	Galle	Jaffna	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
03-Dec	Dambulla	Kandy	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
04-Dec	Colombo	Jaffna	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
05-Dec	Dambulla	Galle	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
05-Dec	Kandy	Colombo	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
07-Dec	Colombo	Galle	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
07-Dec	Jaffna	Dambulla	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
09-Dec	Kandy	Jaffna	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
09-Dec	Galle	Dambulla	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
10-Dec	Jaffna	Colombo	3.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
10-Dec	Galle	Kandy	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
11-Dec	Dambulla	Colombo	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
13-Dec	TBC	TBC	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
14-Dec	TBC	TBC	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota
16-Dec	TBC	TBC	7.30 PM	MRICS, Hambantota