New variant could be identified in the country only if it is detected in a random sample : DDG Health

• No mechanism to stop South African variant entering Sri Lanka
• All preparatory measures taken to face it if it spreads in Sri Lanka

 By Ajith Siriwardana

Claiming that the new Covid variant detected in South Africa could enter Sri Lanka at any time, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said today that there was no mechanism even elsewhere in the world to prevent any of the variants entering a specific country.

He told reporters that a new variant could be identified in the country only if it was detected through a random sample taken for testing.

“Any of the Covid variants can enter Sri Lanka. We cannot stop it. The issue is, we can know that the particular variant has entered Sri Lanka only if it is detected through a random sample after it spreads in the country. There is no other mechanism elsewhere in the world where we could get to know it in advance and prevent it from entering the country,” he said.

He said the new South African variant has not been found in Sri Lanka as yet and added that all preparatory measures have already been taken to face if that variant spreads in Sri Lanka just as in the case of the Delta variant.

Dr. Herath said a majority of Covid fatalities were among those who had not received their vaccines to shield themselves against the pandemic and added that more people could perish due to complications in the future if they did not receive the vaccine.

When asked who would take the responsibility for not vaccinating those who are aged above 60 at the proper time, he said it was an absurd exercise by trying to find who was responsible and pointed out that the Health Ministry has given the opportunity for the public to get the vaccines. “We cannot force someone to get the vaccine, we will not do it either. We continuously appeal to everyone to go and get the vaccine without delay,” he said.
When asked whether it is possible to call this wave as a New Year cluster anymore, he said it was only a term and added that many of the patients who were detected so far were identified as patients of contacts.
“There is no use arguing over this matter. We should work together to save ourselves from the common enemy,” he said.

WHO is yet to characterize it as variant of concern 

By Kelum Bandara

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the coronavirus variant C.1.2 is not yet considered a variant of concern (VOC). 

WHO Technical lead on Covid Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said in a twitter message there had been 100 sequences of C.1.2 globally, and it does not appear to be in circulation. She said the WHO needs more sequencing to be conducted and shared globally.  

The variant was reported in South Africa and a number of other countries, with concerns that it could be more infectious and evade vaccines, according to a new preprint study by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform. The study is awaiting peer review.Dr. Kerkhove, an American epidemiologist, said the WHO was monitoring a dozen of variants at the moment, and if any of them were categorized as a variant of concern (VOC) or    a variant of interest (VOI).She said monitoring and assessment of variants is ongoing and critically important to understand the evolution of the virus.  Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr. Hemanth Herath said Sri Lanka had a mechanism to detect it in case it arrived in Sri Lanka.“We have our surveillance system in place at Sri Jayewardenepura University for it,” he said.  He also said it could spread to other countries before reaching Sri Lanka.