SL will face grave health crisis unless urgent action is taken, warns GMOA

Calls for sealing off Gampaha, Colombo, Kalutara, Kegalle and Kurunegala districts

By Rathindra Kuruwita-October 27, 2020

The country would face a serious health crisis if the government did not take immediate steps to contain the spread of COVID-19, Editor of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Dr. Haritha Aluthge warned yesterday.

Addressing the media in Colombo, Aluthge said that Sri Lanka was close to a community spread of the virus.

“This is a complex situation and we are about to face a serious crisis. It is quite clear that we are now nearing the social spread. Even on Sunday, over 300 cases were detected and it is also obvious that most people are not directly linked to the Brandix or Peliyagoda clusters. We are close to a community spread and if we reach that state, our health system will be overwhelmed,” Aluthge said.

If Sri Lanka reached the community spread stage, ICUs and hospitals would not be enough, and the deaths would rise exponentially, he said.

The GMOA Editor said: “Unless we opt for a course correction, we can expect a large number of deaths within the next two months. We have identified five districts at risk; they are Gampaha, Colombo, Kalutara, Kegalle and Kurunegala. But we are seeing that some other districts are also at risk. We have proposed that the borders of these five districts be sealed. We have also told this to the Presidential Task Force.”

Head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama told the media that if the situation was not brought under control immediately, the people who were prone to complications.

“We need to move faster. Mainly the symptoms are fever and cough. But we also see a lot of patients with diarrhoea. Some lose the sense of smell. Runny nose is not one of the symptoms but sore throat and cough are could be signs of COVID-19. When exposed to COVID-19, elderly people and those with diabetes and high blood pressure show complications and if the current rate of admissions continued we will have problems with ICU beds and there could be more deaths.”