• The death toll from the Delta variant is much higher than the Alpha variant
• 33,000 children islandwide have been infected with COVID-19
• SL has managed to fully vaccinate only seven percent of its population

By JAMILA HUSAIN 

Sri Lanka is presently one of the highest countries in the world, administering COVID-19 vaccinations per day, with over 300,000 vaccines administered daily as medical experts warn that the Delta variant will cause havoc in weeks ahead if the population remains unvaccinated.  

To date, Sri Lanka is administering vaccines in several districts including the Colombo District while health officials say the Delta variant which is much more contagious than the Alpha variant has spread among the population. 

Recently it was announced in the media that 19 cases of Delta were found among the public, but this was only from samples taken from around 25 infected people. Therefore, health experts believe the Delta may have spread beyond what is reported and have urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

The death toll from the Delta variant is much higher than the Alpha variant, and more people around the world are succumbing to this mutated version of the COVID-19. However, countries that have vaccinated at least 70 percent of their populations are now considering opening up as vaccinations seems to be the only solution of fighting the more contagious forms of the coronavirus. 

Medical expert and Professor in the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Prof. Neelika Malavige told Daily Mirror that presently Sri Lanka’s performance to fight the COVID-19, as well as its national vaccination programme was one of the best in South Asia, but all adults needed to be vaccinated to prevent severe illness and death from the Delta variant. 

“We are in danger of the Delta causing havoc of severe disease and death until the population is vaccinated. The vulnerable population are adults,” Prof. Malavige said. 
Presently Sri Lanka has managed to fully vaccinate only seven percent of its population and medical experts have not recommended opening up the country till at least all those above 30 years are vaccinated. It is only once vaccinations are complete, especially on adults, can the country think of returning to complete normalcy, medical experts have said. 
At the speed Sri Lanka is administering its vaccines and with enough injections now coming into the country, authorities have set a target of completing inoculations by the end of August or the beginning of September. 

Prof. Malavige said that with Sri Lanka unable to keep its borders closed forever, it was possible that new variants will enter the country in the future, and even more mutated versions, but for that studies were ongoing to see if booster shots would be required in the future and if so which groups would require it. 

Even with the vaccinations, medical experts have said that there have been those who have been infected with the COVID-19, but their symptoms are less than in those who remain unvaccinated. 

Meanwhile, according to official figures, 33,000 children islandwide have been infected with COVID-19 out of which 10 child deaths have been reported. However, five out of the 10, were children who were below nine months of age and almost all were suffering from other illnesses. 

The rate of Delta infection among those below 18 years of age is low. 

BLURB
At the speed Sri Lanka is administering its vaccines and with enough injections now coming into the country, authorities have set a target of completing inoculations by the end of August or the beginning of September