More than a thousand COVID-infected patients from across the country are currently being reported daily since the virus was first detected in March 2020. The number of people testing positive to the latest UK variant, SARS-CoV-2 during the past four days are as follows --1,716 on May 1; 1,843 on May 2, 1,923, on May 3 and 1860 on May 4 bringing the total number of cases to 115,590 and the death toll to 709 as of last morning. These figures are near alarming when compared with the little more than 3,000 COVID-infected patients and 13 deaths reported from March up to October 4 last year before the second phase of the virus made its presence felt with the Brandix cluster.

In such a scenario can we be mistaken in assuming that apart from the people the government too had dropped its guard and allowed complacency to creep in, especially when considering the fact that people were allowed to roam around in large numbers during the festive period despite being aware that the UK variant, which is now causing the most amount of damage had invaded Sri Lanka. Repeatedly warning people to remain indoors and adhere to the latest health guidelines without strictly enforcing such restrictions; it was not surprising to see people disregarding them with the least concern for the price we would have to pay.

Meanwhile, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) said last week that there appeared to be no pragmatic decisions or strategies in place to face the dire consequences that may arise and underscored the fact that, “we seem to have failed to learn from lessons in India to avert such a crisis”.

AMS President Dr. Lak Kumar Fernando pointed out that our existing capacity to treat patients has reached the threshold. He said experts have clearly emphasised the higher infectivity and virulence of the current strain requiring an increased need for oxygen dependency and intensive care and there being no firmly established cure for this disease, symptomatic treatment is the mainstay until recovery.

 “We should ensure there will be a constant and uninterrupted availability of oxygen-supplied beds, if we are to avert a disaster. Apparently even a financially stronger regional giant like India is facing severe hardships because of a shortage of oxygen right now,” he said. Dr. Fernando said the most vital issue was the delivery of oxygen to the patient’s bedside and the best way to do this is to have piped oxygen distributed from a central liquid oxygen tank rather than using cylinders to do so.

“With the current COVID variant being highly transmissible, transporting patients to hospitals with larger oxygen tanks may not be feasible because most of these hospitals cater to non-COVID patients and the spread of COVID within a hospital could result in a calamity,” he said.

“Managing oxygen between hospitals and delivering it to patients will certainly need intelligent planning and a high level of coordination, production and storage. For this, we will need to use the services of experts in these fields to design and implement the best national plan and it should be kept strictly apolitical. If such action is not taken at this crucial juncture, we will be another nation, which has planned to fail having failed to plan,” Dr. Fernando said highlighting that complacency and over-confidence could take Sri Lanka to a critical point faster, like in some countries.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the Sri Lankan government can in no way allow the health crisis to deteriorate to the level currently prevailing in India. A couple of months ago, the Indian government too was euphoric believing it had won the COVID-war allowing vanity and smugness to set in by permitting some nine million Hindu devotees to gather for the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar resulting in a huge COVID blast. Indian hospitals have long run out of beds, oxygen and viral drugs and facing an unimaginable catastrophe. 

“The system hasn’t collapsed. The Narendra Modi government had failed. Perhaps ‘failed’ is an inaccurate word, because what Indians are witnessing is not criminal negligence, but an outright crime against humanity,” Indian author Arundathi Roy said in the Guardian.

Amid the increasing number of COVID-infected patients and deaths in Sri Lanka, what matters most is what people see happening around them. Caught up in this crisis, can they remain confident that the government is doing its utmost to contain the viral infection and keep the people safe?