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Last Updated : 2024-03-29 00:02:00
- Adequate and rational testing is a must to identify new patients, new outbreaks in new locations
- The current strain may have come from elsewhere
- It is important to get rid of the stigma. It’s not anyone’s fault if someone gets COVID-19
- We should aim to go back to normal live as fast as possible, within the safety frameworks
- Let’s not stigmatize those with COVID19. Also let’s stop the blame game
- Long term complications were seen in young adults; such as fatigue, lack of concentration, lack of fitness for many months after getting COVID-19
- Individuals (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) can be PCR positive for many days and even more than two months. But they do not shed infectious viral particles after 10 days
As the Western Province, the economic hub of the country is opened after nearly two weeks of lockdown and people are eager to get back to their normal lives, medical experts say that those asymptomatic or do not show symptoms of COVID-19 and those with mild illnesses would not carry infectious virus after seven days and definitely not after 10 days.
Prof. Neelika Malavige, Head of Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine and Director of the Centre for Dengue Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayawardenapura said those infected with COVID-19 should not be marginalised or stigmatized by society.
Prof. Malavige who is also an academic visitor at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Infectious Diseases said that the country should not go for island-wide lockdown as it would create devastating social and economic consequences.
However she insisted that measures like isolating certain areas where there were high transmission and temporary lockdowns where there were many cases, should be implemented. This is to stop the spread of the highly contagious virus as there was a high risk of deaths for vulnerable people like those who are ageing and suffering from ailments such as diabetes, cancer and heart ailments. She also stated that it is important to test all symptomatic patients all over the country and do screening of high-risk groups to catch any outbreaks as early as possible.
The highly qualified medical expert said we should aim to get back to normal lives as fast as possible within the safety framework and should fight the deadly virus united as a country.
The Excerpts:
A patient becomes infectious around 48 hours before he or she shows symptoms. Then patients who develop symptoms remain infectious for 7 to 10 days since onset of symptoms. Most individuals become non-infectious by day 7 since onset of symptoms but a minority of those infected is infectious up to 10 days since onset of symptoms.
Since asymptomatic individuals don't show any symptoms, there is no way to tell when they got infected. In such individuals, the first date of PCR positivity is taken as day one. They are considered infectious from day 7 to 10 since PCR positivity.
Individuals (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) can be PCR positive for many days and even more than two months. But they do not shed infectious viral particles after 10 days.
"I don’t think we should go for island wide lockdowns as it would have devastating social and economic consequences. This virus will be with us for a long time and a vaccine is not going to come tomorrow. However, it is important to isolate certain areas where there is high transmission and many cases, to stop it spreading to other areas in the country"
"It is important to isolate certain areas where there is high transmission and many cases, to stop it spreading to other areas in the country. It is very important to test all symptomatic patients all over the country presenting with such features and do screening of high-risk groups to catch any outbreaks in such groups very early"
"Many research groups in the world have been investigating this and have shown that although the virus may be present in saliva and sputum in a patient for a long period, there is no infectious virus after 7 days and definitely not after 10 days"
"However, temporary lockdowns, restricted to certain areas, for short periods may be needed, if the health systems are overloaded, just to manage the patient loads. We should aim to go back to normal life as fast as possible, within the safety frameworks"
lawrn Fernan Monday, 09 November 2020 07:09 PM
This is cofusing, Is this seven days from the date of detectin or infection, or symptoms appearing ? Need to be clarified
Prasad Weerasinghe Tuesday, 10 November 2020 04:48 AM
Its simple. When you get the virus , you can be infectious for 10 days. So the maximum contagious periode from a positive PCR is 10 days.
Suresh Monday, 09 November 2020 08:27 PM
This lady is a professor and holds powerful positions. But she is NOT A SCIENTIST BUT A DOCTOR. We need people with in-depth knowledge in Biology, Chemistry,Medical Physics, and Mathematics.
K Perera Tuesday, 10 November 2020 03:03 AM
This is incorrect. There was a recent article published in JAMA (6 Aug 2020) by a Korean team of researchers, indicating that asymptomatic case still carried just as much of the virus as symptomatic patients—and for nearly as long - Their conclusion quoted below. "In this cohort study of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who were isolated in a community treatment center in Cheonan, ROK, the Ct values in asymptomatic patients were similar to those in symptomatic patients. Viral molecular shedding was prolonged. Because transmission by asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 may be a key factor in community spread, population-based surveillance and isolation of asymptomatic patients may be required."
K Kasturi Tuesday, 17 November 2020 07:52 AM
Then why are pcr negative people flying in from abroad in institutional quarantine for 2 weeks?
Rizly Razeen Friday, 20 November 2020 01:11 PM
We all should do our part to keep us and everyone around us safe, And carry on with our lives,
Fazal Tuesday, 24 November 2020 11:15 AM
The people of SL is having a notion and It is very much sad that after burial of dead body, the virus transmit via sand and water even though no scientific evidence on these argument. as article depicts that alive person is not vulnerable to infectious or transmit , On what basis ,dead body is infectious OR potential of having a potential of transmit virus. Every community should have empathy towards other community to built nations.
firdhous Monday, 30 November 2020 04:49 PM
It is ridiculous that in the modern era where all the knowledge is accessible through internet; through articles, youtube presentation and 3d animation, things beyond logic are staged. An airborne virus never stoppable from spreading other than control and avoid infection multiple times. If a vaccine can be created, who ever got an infection would have developed antibodies as long as he was not severely affected by the virus. So a 3months lock down is intelligible as it is a new virus for medicine even though it is not new on the Earth. Possibly the same might have infected many long back but no PRC test was there to prove it as it was COVID19 or the older context was not vulnerable enough to support the spread of virus as it is now. Only a new law allowing a patient with fever to take rest for 3-7 days leave is more than enough as the recent wave of COVID19 spread started by not giving a patient in a factor to have sick leave. Man..! be intelligent............
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