Don’t underrate COVID-19 virus: IDH Director

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 at present.

He said certain facts about the disease are still at the experimental level and we have a limited knowledge about the complications. 

Experiments are underway on the impact may be caused to the lungs  and other important parts 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 owned the stores did not take steps to limit the number of customers in a single store and even the customers who do not take their own initiative to follow the minimum health guidelines at the 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. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)