Don’t underrate COVID-19 virus: IDH Director

• Experiments are underway on the impact that it may cause to the lungs and other important organs

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama   

National Institute of Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) Director Dr. Hasitha Attanayake requested the public not to underestimate the COVID-19 virus and not to get carried away by the decreasing number of patients now.   

He said certain facts about the disease are still at experimental level and we have a limited knowledge about the complications.   
Experiments are underway on the impact that it may cause to the lungs and other important organs of the human body, even after having recovered from the viral infection.   
Hence, Dr. Attanayake requested the public to be vigilant over the infection and spreading of the disease.    He also cautioned the public to be watchful when visiting public places such as clothing and departmental stores for shopping during the festive season.    “The management that own such stores do not take steps to limit the number of customers in a single store and even customers do not follow the basic health guidelines at such  shopping malls,” he said.   

If this practice continues, there is no way of controlling the emergence of a new COVID cluster.   
Nearly 5,000 COVID infected patients and cases suspected to have been infected with the virus had received treatment since the reporting of the first COVID patient and nearly 200 patients were treated in the ICU.