Malaysia PM orders total lockdown amid COVID-19 surge
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Friday announced a nationwide “total lockdown” starting in June as coronavirus infections in the country surged to record levels. The Covid-19 spread in the Southeast Asian nation in recent weeks has been more severe, partly due to highly transmissible coronavirus variants. “With the latest rise in daily cases showing a drastically upward trend, hospital capacity across the country to treat Covid-19 patients are becoming limited,” Mr Muhyiddin said in a statement. Malaysia reported 8,290 new coronavirus cases on Friday, its fourth straight day of record infections and bringing the total number of cases to 549,514. The number of daily fatalities have been rising, with a record daily toll of 63 earlier this week.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 16:01 UTC
One million doses of Sinopharm vaccine to arrive on June 06
State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana says the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm have confirmed that another consignment of one million doses of its vaccine will be dispatched to Sri Lanka on June 06. He stated that a stock of 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine ordered by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC) will arrive from China on that date. Sri Lanka had received a donation of 500,000 doses of the China-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday (26). In March, Sri Lanka had received 600,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a donation from China. Meanwhile the Cabinet of Ministers had this week approved a proposal to take necessary steps for the immediate purchase of 14 million doses of the China-manufactured Sinopharm vaccine and 01 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 14:37 UTC
COVID-19 & Asthma
Whilst asthma is often considered a disease of younger people, the high prevalence of asthma in the community indicates that many older people suffer from asthma. Statistics suggest that older people suffer disproportionately from the burden of asthma with the majority of those dying from asthma aged over 55 years. Many would question, ‘Are there vaccine side effects people with asthma should be on the lookout for?’ or ‘Should I stop taking my Asthma medication? This is because asthma and COVID-19 can cause similar symptoms, but for a different reason. The Papworth method is typically not ideal for those who have severe asthma.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 13:52 UTC
Uptick in COVID figures as 2,243 more test positive
May 28, 2021 06:32 pmThe Ministry of Health reports that another 2,243 persons have tested positive for coronavirus on Friday (May 28). All new cases are associated with the New Year Covid-19 cluster. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 177,104. Presently 29,417 infected patients are being treated at hospitals and treatment centers across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries reached 146,362 earlier today as 2,573 patients who discharged from medical care.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 13:41 UTC
Sri Lanka reports 2,573 more Covid-19 recoveries
May 28, 2021 06:27 pmThe Ministry of Health says that another 2,573 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals and treatment centres after completing their recovery. This brings the country’s total COVID-19 recoveries count to 146,362. A total of 174,861 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Sri Lanka thus far while 27,174 of those patients are currently under treatment.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 12:56 UTC
ComBank sponsored ‘Hack:bit 2020’ a spectacular success
Commenting on the sponsorship, Commercial Bank Managing Director Mr S. Renganathan said: “The CSR Trust of the Bank already invests 70% of its funds to promote education in Sri Lanka. In Hack:bit 2020, we saw another opportunity to be a part of encouraging young minds to pursue their passion for technology and create practical solutions to existing problems. Subsequently, 10 school teams and 10 university teams were shortlisted to participate in the semi-finals. The second placed winners also received Arduino starter packs as well as portable Wi-Fi routers while the third placed winners won BBC Micro:bit starter kits and computer mice. Members of the champion team won laptops and the second and third placed winners won Raspberry Pi computers and gaming headsets, and portable Wi-Fi routers and gaming mice respectively.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 12:00 UTC
Nimmi Harasgama nominated under ‘Drama Performance’ category at Britain’s National TV Awards
Nimmi Harasgama as Nurse Mari Rodriguez. Photo: hellomagazine.comNimmi Harasgama has been nominated under the ‘Drama Performance’ category at Britain’s National TV Awards for her performance as nurse Mari Rodriguez in Series 3 of The Good Karma Hospital. The medical drama series is produced by Tiger Aspect Productions. British-Sri Lankan stand-up comedian, presenter and actor Romesh Ranganathan has also been nominated under the category of “TV Presenter”. Romesh was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2013 Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 11:02 UTC
Kate Middleton's wardrobe for her royal tour of Scotland
The Duchess of Cambridge delivered a masterclass in diplomatic dressing as she joined Prince William in Scotland this week. Among the highlights was a custom baby blue coat by Catherine Walker worn yesterday and a £849 Marlborough Trench Coat in Heather Tartan by Holland Cooper. DAY ONE: MONDAYVISITING ORGANISATIONS IN NORTH LANARKSHIRE AND EAST LOTHIANRoyal blue: Kate kicked off royal engagements in an ensemble the same colour as the Scottish flag. Finishing the monochrome look, Kate wore a beige fitted jumper by Temperley London under her coat. Adding a splash of colour to the outfit, Kate wore a £115 Fairisle Jumper from local Scottish bran Campbell's of Beauly.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 10:52 UTC
Govt to provide Rs. 5,000 allowance from June 02
May 28, 2021 03:10 pmThe government has decided to pay the Rs. 5,000 allowance from June 02, according to State Minister Shehan Semasinghe. He stated that the allowance will be provided to Samurdhi beneficiaries, persons who are already receiving government allowances, low-income earners and those who have lost their income due to the COvid-19 pandemic. The State Minister added that the government expects to allocate a sum of Rs. 30 billion in order to pay this allowance to the people of the country affected by the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 10:05 UTC
Steps taken to clear debris from X-Press Pearl shipwreck
The special operation to remove chemical and non-chemical debris from the sea due to the X-Press Pearl shipwreck commenced yesterday (27) with the participation of Ministry of Environment, State Ministry of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal and Community, Disaster Management Center, Marine Environment Protection Authority, Tri-Forces, Sri Lanka Police, Central Environmental Authority and relevant Local Government Institutions. Accordingly, the daily disposal of debris that accumulates on the coast and the removal of different chemicals that accumulate on the coast are carried out by the Armed Forces under the supervision of the Disaster Management Center and Marine Environment Protection Authority. The Director General of the Disaster Management Center and other relevant officials conducted a field inspection to oversee the above mentioned activities along the coastline from Negombo to Colombo.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 08:03 UTC
Debris from X-PRESS PEARL could be ‘carcinogenic’
COLOMBO (News 1st): The debris from the distressed vessel MV X-PRESS PEARL that fell into the sea continues to accumulate along Sri Lanka’s Western coast including the Negombo beach. Joining an interview with News 1st on Friday (May 28), Deputy Director-General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath, emphasized that it is very dangerous to touch or collect the debris and take such material home. “Given the lack of knowledge on the content of the debris from X-PRESS PEARL, it is EXTREMELY dangerous to collect the content as the effects may NOT even appear now, but later in time,” Dr. Herath stressed. According to Dr. Hemantha Herath, certain chemicals in the debris could cause long-term poisoning and may even include cancer-causing components.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 06:00 UTC
Power supply to areas affected by outages restored today: CEB
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) says that the power supply to the areas affected by the power outage will be restored today (28). The power supply was disrupted in many parts of the country due to the strong winds that affected the island. The Ceylon Electricity Board stated that the supply of electricity to more than 177,000 housing units had been disrupted. The highest number of power outages were reported from Matale, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Galle and Matara districts. There were also reports of power outages in some parts of the Colombo district.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 05:37 UTC
Sri Lanka, World Bank ink new EU grant to boost local agriculture sector
The Ministry of Finance and the World Bank recently signed a new grant from the European Union to support the Agriculture Sector Modernization Project (ASMP). This grant is part of the EU’s EUR 25 million support to the US$ 125 million project and will be administered by the World Bank. H. Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. “The European Union is pleased to be partnering with the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka to move towards a more sustainable, resilient and productive agriculture”, said Denis Chaibi, European Union Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. -World Bank
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 04:52 UTC
829 Quarantine Violators Arrested in 24 hours – Police
COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka Police arrested 829 people for the violation of quarantine laws on Thursday (27), the highest number of arrests made in a single day with respect to failing to wear a face mask, maintain social distancing, and other health regulations. A total of 15,595 people were arrested for the aforementioned offenses since the 30th of October 2020 to date, said Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana. 180 people were arrested by the Matale Police on Thursday (27), making it the highest number of arrests made in a single day at any given territorial division.
Source:The Nation
May 28, 2021 04:52 UTC