News
Crisis won’t derail Covid-19 second jab:
Vaccination drive begins today
… first round halted on 6 April
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Senior Presidential Advisor and head of Covid-19 vaccination project, Lalith Weeratunga said yesterday (27) that in spite of the fresh outbreak of a more virulent variant of the coronavirus in the country, the government was confident of carrying out the second round of immunisation using the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as scheduled.
Weeratunga, who also represents the Covid-19 Task Force said so when The Island sought an explanation as regards the growing Opposition accusations regarding the near collapse of the battle against the epidemic. Army Chief Gen. Shavendra Silva heads the Covid Task Force.
“Let us refrain from playing politics with unprecedented health emergency or seeking political advantage at the expense of overall national effort,” Weeratunga said, assuring the government’s unwavering commitment to bringing the situation under control.
Weeratunga said that the second round of the vaccination programme would begin on Wednesday (28).
Responding to another query, Weeratunga said that at the time Sri Lanka launched the vaccination programme on January 29, 2021 after receiving the first consignment from India on the previous day, the manufacturer-Serum Institute of Pune, Maharashtra advised that the second jab should be administered after four weeks. Subsequently, the manufacturer asserted that the second job should be administered between 12 to 16 weeks, Weeratunga said.
Admitting the severe difficulties caused by the spike in Covid-19 cases in the immediate aftermath of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Weeratunga emphasized the government wouldn’t try to justify the disruption of the vaccination programme under any circumstances.
Of course, the ongoing crisis in India prompted Sri Lanka to explore ways and means of securing the required doses from other sources, Weeratunga said, adding that the second round gets underway with the country having six weeks supply in its hands.
State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle yesterday told The Island that the current challenge was two-fold with the government having to undertake the second vaccination round while trying to contain the fresh outbreak.
Acknowledging a rapid increase in the numbers affected, Dr. Fernandopulle said now younger people had been infected with complications needing high flow oxygen.
Emphasizing the heavy responsibility on all stakeholders, Dr. Fernandopulle said the public support was required to reduce what she called patient load.
The State Minister said that the country was paying a price for lowering the guard during the festive reason.
According to Dr. Fernandopulle, the government stopped the first round on April 6 in the wake of the total number of recipients reaching 927,000.
Commenting on the AstraZeneca received in three separate consignments since the arrival of the first lot on January 28, Dr. Fernandopulle said altogether Sri Lanka received 1,264,000. Of them, India donated 500,000 doses, Sri Lanka purchased 500,000 and bought another 264,000 through high profile Covax project-the global mechanism for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
In terms of the Covax initiative, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and the Serum Institute of India have so far supplied vaccines to over 100 countries funded through the ‘Gavi Covax Advance Market Commitment.’
Dr. Fernandopulle said that the current crisis was believed to have been caused by a new variant. Both State Minister Fernandopulle and Vaccination Chief Weeratunga said that as in the first round the health workers and armed forces would receive priority.
Indian diplomatic sources told The Island that as far as the supply of AstraZeneca to Sri Lanka was concerned the situation remained the same with the last delivery in March in line with the Covax facility. Sources said that Sri Lanka was able to advance the first phase of the vaccination programme due to the early delivery made by the Serum Institute, sources said.
Senior Presidential Advisor Weeratunga also explained the government decision to acquire a substantial stock of Russia Sputnik V vaccine as part of the overall vaccination programme. According to him, the Russian deliveries would commence next week with Sri Lanka receiving 200,000 doses. Weeratunga said that altogether, the government would purchase 13 mn doses of Sputnik V.
The Russian diplomatic sources told The Island yesterday that the Russian Direct Investment Fund was handling the transaction.
Sri Lanka on March 31 received 600,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine jointly developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products. Sri Lanka awaits WHO approval for the Chinese Vaccine to give it to locals, though Chinese nationals working in Sri Lanka were inoculated with it on a voluntary basis no sooner it was airlifted to the country by the national carrier SriLankan.
Health Secretary Maj. Gen. Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe, the Chief Epidemiologist and Director General Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena couldn’t be reached yesterday for comments as regards the developing situation.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
