We are seeing a sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 cases from the time when people were allowed to travel as they wished to all parts of the country during the National New Year period in April. The results of that ill-timed decision are still among us showing up in an increasing number of COVID-19 cases and more importantly an increasing number of COVID-related deaths now being blamed on the more virulent and contagious Delta variant.

The government statistics of new cases and deaths during the past ten days in August are a startling if not a grim reflection on the inroads made by the deadly viral infection spreading rapidly across the length and breadth of the country with the total number of COVID-infected patients, as of August 10, mounting to 335,851 and deaths 
to 5,340.

Against such a background, should not the government have waited at least until its vaccination programme was completed before reopening the country in an ambitious move to restore normalcy by requesting the public servants to report for duty and operating train and bus services from Monday, August 2.The current vaccination drive – with the commendable support of the army -- is progressing at a rapid pace and more efficiently than at the initial stages, even though it has so far not resulted in any significant drop in the numbers of COVID-infected patients and deaths. It now seems that on second thoughts as it were the government has hurriedly amended its earlier directive with the heads of government departments being given the discretion to determine the number of employees to be called for duty.

Meanwhile, Medical Specialists and Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) are repeatedly calling for stringent measures such as travel restrictions and lockdowns, while several Government hospitals -- the Colombo South Hospital, the Ragama Teaching Hospital and the Colombo National Hospital -- are overflowing with some patients occupying any empty space on the floor while others are even in the open air showing how frightening the situation is turning out to be. In addition, the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle and the Ratnapura Teaching Hospital have declared an emergency because of the influx of a large number of COVID-infected patients placing even the staff 
at risk.  With beds filling up in all major hospitals and the struggle to accommodate the growing number of new patients, the Health Ministry on Friday issued new guidelines for home-based care for asymptomatic and mild symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

The following excerpts from a letter written to the government by the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS), underscores the current ground realities. The Association said with the delta variant being the most dominant, the number of patients and more ‘disturbingly the exponential rise in the number of oxygen-dependent patients, the capacity to accommodate them has virtually reached its 

tipping point’. It said this crisis would be equally applicable to both public and private sectors and as such, further relaxation of COVID restrictions they said was similar to that of adding ‘fuel to the fire’. The AMS said by relaxing the restrictions, the people, who are irresponsible when it comes to obeying health guidelines, would invariably throw caution to the winds aggravating the crisis further.

“We, as a professional body feel it is our prime responsibility to alert and warn the decision makers of the current grim situation. In our opinion, relaxation should have begun once we have achieved vaccination targets along with declining numbers of daily COVID cases probably in four to eight weeks from now,” the AMS said. “With declining economic performance indicators, we are quite aware of the urgency the government has in getting the economy back on track. However, impatient and hurried decisions to open the country will invariably delay any expected economic growth.”

The AMS said it was compelled to request the government to revisit its COVID-19 restriction protocols, especially in the presence of this deadly Delta variant. “As scientific, practical and pragmatic professionals, we strongly believe that we need an intact nation to revive the economy,” it said. “We certainly understand the importance of livelihoods provided lives are saved and conclude with a well-known medical quote, “It is better to have a living problem than a dead certainty”.

Where do we go from here? Amid the COVID crisis intensifying even further and resulting in a growing number of patients requiring hospital treatment amid the hard-pressed healthcare system stretched to breaking point, is it wrong to wonder whether the government has lost its grip on the current situation. We hope not.