Country will be reopened after all above 30 are vaccinated - Bandula
All Sri Lankans over the age of 30 will be vaccinated by September, according to Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Minister of Trade stated that the country will be reopened after that vaccination milestone. “By September, we will be the country where all people over the age of 30 have completed the vaccination. “As schools are scheduled to reopen next week, we hope to discuss with manufacturers and further reduce the price of a face mask. Now a face mask sells at Rs 14.”
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 18:00 UTC
SL hits highest single-day vaccinations
In addition, a total of 5,300 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine had been given to Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka for development activities. However, when The Morning did its own research on the same site, Sri Lanka was listed at No. 2 on the global chart, behind Ecuador, in terms of daily doses administered per 100 people. The vaccination programme by the military was launched after receiving one million doses of Chinese Sinopharm vaccines. Accordingly, eight million doses of Sinopharm, 500,000 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca, 180,000 of Sputnik V, and 115,830 of Pfizer have been purchased by the Government.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 18:00 UTC
Doctor says 'NHS as we know it will not survive much longer' amid 5.3-million-strong waiting list
The NHS is 'quietly disintegrating' under the pressure of a 5.3 million-strong waiting list, a palliative care doctor has warned. According to Rachel Clarke, there is currently a 'silent epidemic of unseen, unheard suffering' in the health system 'like nothing we have known before.' 'There is a silent epidemic of unseen, unheard suffering in the NHS today, like nothing we have known before. Her diagnosis is that the UK's world-renowned health system is in fact 'closer to terminal than thriving'. Dr Clarke added: 'It is no exaggeration to say I do not know a single doctor or nurse who believes that the NHS as we know it will survive much longer.'
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:48 UTC
AstraZeneca 2nd doses arrival ‘likely on 29th’
BY Buddhika SamaraweeraAbout one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka, most likely on 29 July, according to the State Ministry of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals. Ratnayake earlier told The Morning that about one million doses of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine were being manufactured in Japan and are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka this week. However, the administration of Pfizer vaccines as the second dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine was halted after one day on 8 July. The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured in India, was the first Covid-19 vaccine administered in Sri Lanka in late January this year. Also, about 600,000 persons who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country have not yet been given its second dose.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:26 UTC
Final decision on inter-provincial transport by Friday
BY Buddhika SamaraweeraThe Ministry of Transport has tentatively planned to resume inter-provincial transport services from 1 August, and the final decision in this regard would be taken at the meeting of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) to be held on either Thursday or Friday. This is because the resumption of inter-provincial transport services is subject to the approval of the NOCPCO and other health authorities. When contacted by The Morning, Minister of Transport Gamini Lokuge said: “It is planned to operate inter-provincial transport services following all health guidelines. This requires the permission of the NOCPCO, and we are ready to operate transport services whenever its approval is granted.”Inter-provincial transport services were resumed to facilitate those travelling for essential services from 14 July, but three days later, on 17 July, the Transport Ministry again suspended such services. Accordingly, arrangements have been made to run one train daily from Kankesanthurai Railway Station to Vavuniya Railway Station from today (26).
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:26 UTC
US faces `unnecessary predicament´ due to unvaccinated...
The US is in an 'unnecessary predicament' of soaring Covid-19 cases fuelled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent Delta variant, the nation's top infectious diseases expert said. Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN the US is in an 'unnecessary predicament' of soaring Covid-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent Delta variantHe added that booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated. 'This is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we're out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated,' Fauci said. He added that Americans who are immune compromised may end up needing COVID vaccine booster shots as cases continue to mount. But it added that the two-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer with partner BioNTech still remained highly effective in preventing severe illness.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:15 UTC
South-west monsoon to bring strong winds
In a statement issued yesterday, the Meteorology Department also stated that several spells of showers would occur in the North Western Province. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva Province and the Ampara and Batticaloa Districts in the evening or night. According to the department, showers or thundershowers will occur in the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Galle via Colombo and winds will be south-westerly. “Wind speed will be 40-50 kmph in the sea areas around the island. Adding that the sea areas extending from Galle to Pottuvil via Matara and Hambantota and the sea areas extending from Puttalam to Kankesanthurai via Mannar could be very rough at times, the department has requested the Naval and fishing communities to be vigilant.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:15 UTC
Torrential thunderstorms, lightning and hailstones lash the UK
Thunderstorms bringing lightning and torrential rain to the south are set to continue until Monday, forecasters have said. Met Office rain gages looking back over six hours saw 34mm of rain at Sandhurst and 32mm at Wych Cross in East Sussex. 'Torrential downpours, thunder and lightning and potentially some hailstones are settling in the south.' It comes after lightning set fire to houses in Andover, Hampshire, on Saturday morning, forcing residents to leave. Thunderstorms bringing lightning and torrential rain to the south are set to continue until MondayA pedestrian crosses through deep water on a flooded road in The Nine Elms district of London on July 25, 2021 during heavy rain.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:03 UTC
Don’t rock the Covid recovery boat with elections
Covid-19 will become a non-factor by SeptemberCovid-19 vaccines are now pouring into Sri Lanka. Incidents of electoral violence against candidates must be understood in their specific social context to recognise their causes and methods of perpetration fully. The high level of electoral violence in Sri Lanka has been made clear through several factors, including, for example, the president’s decisive leadership. We can’t afford the expense of an election – blind sighted elections expenditureThe Treasury in Sri Lanka had allocated Rs. During the election period, candidates contesting the elections held today in Sri Lanka spent Rs.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:03 UTC
Mangala launches liberal democratic ‘True Patriots’
By Pamodi WaravitaFormer Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera held the inaugural discussion of the “True Patriots” movement yesterday (25) at the Freedom Hub in Colombo, where he stressed the importance of embracing liberal democratic values and maintaining a “radical” middle path. In addition, around $ 1.3 billion in Sri Lankan Development Bonds will have to be paid in December this year. 600 billion, and the lowest revenue recorded in the last seven decades was recorded in 2020. The largest budget deficit since 1988 was recorded in 2020,” said Samaraweera. Responding to a question by The Morning, Samaraweera said that former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe entering parliament is a “good move”.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:03 UTC
Covid cases plummet by 39 per cent to 48,161 compared to last week
Official figures released this afternoon show there were 29,173 new cases recorded, in what is the fifth day cases have fallen in a row. Pictured, yesterday's figuresMr Javid on Sunday deleted the tweet, saying it 'was a poor choice of words and I sincerely apologise'. It comes after the Government bowed to growing pressure from the industry by allowing a key-worker exemption for food supply chain workers. Instead of being forced straight into isolation when 'pinged', food supply chain workers, along with a handful of other key workers, will instead be allowed to take part in daily testing. 'It shows that yet again Government does not understand how connected the food supply chain is.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 17:03 UTC
Daily coronavirus case tally at 1,656
July 25, 2021 09:54 pmThe Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry reports that another 446 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, moving the daily total of new cases to 1,656. This brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 296,962. As many as 267,602 recoveries and 4,099 deaths have been confirmed in Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the pandemic. The Epidemiology Unit’s data showed that 25,306 active cases are currently under medical care.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 16:18 UTC
Planting the seeds of consciousness in our youth
Many of Sri Lanka’s problems, be it inter-ethnic issues, political instability, accountability of public officials and politicians, or necessary socio-economic reforms, follow this rule; and the same applies to its exacerbating environmental issues. Environmental education for schoolchildrenThe discussions in this regard revolve around introducing forestry and wildlife conservation as a school subject. Otherwise, we would not be able to prepare the future generations to address environmental issues. CEJ Chairman Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare observed: “I do not think we can protect the environment without including environmental education in the school curriculum. Reportedly, countries including India, Brazil, Kenya, Philippines, China, Japan, Tanzania, Colombia, and Finland have had environmental education mandated in their national curriculum.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Editorial: Not out of the woods
At this time, community spread of the virus was extremely minimal, because the public fulfilled their responsibility by adhering to safety guidelines. The worst part is, a vaccinated, careless person can spread the virus very easily, while it is the unvaccinated who will have to suffer severe complications. It is good to get vaccinated and have confidence that you are protected against the virus to a great extent. Even though the public should ideally be more careful and aware about the situation now than before, the vaccinations programme’s expansion seems to have brought about fresh complacency regarding public safety. However, the public also has a responsibility, and it is up to the Government to raise awareness among the public about their responsibility.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
How Australia went from ‘lucky Covid country’ to a ‘prison’
By March that year, as Italian hospitals drowned in cases and the UK dithered about restrictions, Australia decisively closed its borders – and the tactic initially paid off. A country of 25 million people, it has recorded just over 900 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began. Australia’s good fortune held steady at the start of the pandemic, when the country closed its borders “just in time,” said Stears. “This is a country that puts cities of millions into lockdowns over one, or two, or three cases,” she said. A generational divide is now emerging in Australia, with lockdowns and closed borders disproportionately affecting younger people, according to Soutphommasane.
Source:The Nation
July 25, 2021 15:56 UTC