Sri Lanka’s medical sector has been plunged into crisis with medical experts fearing that even an immediate countrywide lockdown will not be able to bring any change in the situation over the next ten days following the vast spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The government says it has not yet taken any decision on imposing countrywide lockdown but is seriously monitoring inter-province travel restrictions.

Doctors have now increased sequencing to identify in which provinces the Delta variant had spread and are even on the lookout for the Delta Plus, a mutated version of the Delta variant, already spreading havoc in certain countries.

The Delta Plus strain is found when the Delta variant mutates naturally when the transmission of the Delta variant is very high. Although it has not been detected in Sri Lanka yet, doctors are on alert and monitoring the situation.

Doctors suspect that it is the Delta variant that had caused an exponential increase in the number of Covid-19 patients and, although official figures estimate 2,500 to 2,800 patients per day, the numbers may be as high as 4,000.

And what was being reported now was a reflection of patients who may have been infected about 8 to 10 days ago. As far as the patients infected within these days are concerned, their numbers will only be revealed in the coming 10 days.

According to an internal medical document, till Monday morning 614 patients were oxygen-dependent in the hospitals. Two patients who were rushed to hospital on Monday morning died while being in the Out Patients Department as their oxygen levels had dropped by the time they reached the hospital.

Doctors predict that the number of oxygen -dependent patients may rise to 1,000 in the coming days triggering a higher oxygen demand. Presently there are two companies in Sri Lanka supplying oxygen to hospitals, and the government has assured it would import oxygen if a shortage arises. Presently no oxygen shortage has been reported.

Most of the Delta variant cases were reported in the Western Province.

Most districts in the hill country, such as Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, were yet to report the Delta variant. However, gene sequencing is ongoing in those areas.

Meanwhile, Army Commander General Shavendra Silva told Daily Mirror that there had been no decision as yet to impose a countrywide lockdown but said the inter-province travel restriction will be seriously monitored. Only essential and health workers will be able to go through.

Doctors have urged people to avoid public gatherings and avoid going out unnecessarily. Those who are employed have been urged to work from home if their work does not require them to report to the office. Those in offices have been urged to complete their work and leave the premises immediately, adhering to all health guidelines.

“If people’s mobility stops today, then some positive results may be witnessed after two weeks,” Doctors said.

(SAM)