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Prof. Malavige complains of vaccine apartheid
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Developed countries were hoarding close to 4.5 billion doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines and those vaccines would expire soon, Prof. Neelika Malavige of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, said on Monday delivering the 16th Sujatha Jayawardena Memorial Oration.
Prof. Malavige said that 1.7 billion Pfizer and Moderna doses each and 1.1 billion AstraZeneca vaccines were being hoarded and most of those would be wasted soon.
“These developed nations must share these vaccines at a time when billions of people are vulnerable,” she said.
Commenting on restrictions imposed by Europe and the USA on those vaccinated with Sinopharm, Professor Malavige said that for Europe, Chinese tourists were extremely important and that it would be interesting to see what the Europeans could do once travel restrictions were lifted.
Prof. Malavige said that countries should exercise ceaseless vigilance when dealing with COVID-19 and learn from the mistakes other nations had made.
“Countries that were congratulating themselves for handling the pandemic well like Vietnam, are seeing a surge. On Sunday (29), there were around 13,000 new cases and over 300 deaths in Vietnam. Everyone makes mistakes, but we need to learn and move forward. It is important to be proactive, not reactive,” she said.
Sri Lanka had hitherto been reactive in dealing with the virus. The authorities and the public took drastic measures when the number of cases and deaths were high, however, overall, there had not been a strategy, she said.
“We had tamashas in April, when we had detected the Alpha variant in the country. We took measures too late and saw a rapid surge.
Then we went into a lockdown and during the lockdown we detected the delta variant in Colombo. What you must realise is that the University of Sri Jayewardenepura does limited number gene sequencing. So if we found one, it’s safe to assume that there are hundreds or even thousands in the community. Then we relaxed restrictions in June, but there are questions as to whether we did this scientifically. We soon saw significant surges and now we are in lockdown again,” she said.
Prof. Malavige said that Sri Lanka needed to plan, anticipate and act swiftly to control the spread of COVID-19. Sri Lanka had a number of experts in modelling in all fields and the government should reach out to experts in all relevant fields and come up with an effective strategy. She said that since it was a social and economic issue as well as a health issue, a multi-disciplinary approach should be taken with expert modelers from sociology and finance consulted.
Prof. Malavige also spoke of the need for data. It was not hard to collect data and Sri Lanka had many experts in that field.
“Think of dengue. We get outbreaks and when we see outbreaks, we take steps to curb them. We need data to know when and where COVID clusters emerge, allocate resources and control these. We need accurate data to educate the people and win their trust,” she said.
Sri Lanka had good vaccine coverage and that 99% of Sri Lankan children were vaccinated, which was higher than even the most advanced nations. “This has been achieved by continuous and effective communication. Vaccination is the long term solution for COVID and Sri Lanka needs to have a proper public education program. Vaccination can only be successful by empowering the public and community engagement”, she said.
“In recent years, we see viruses transmitted from animals to humans. As human interactions with wild animals, deforestation and climate change intensified, we will see more such transmissions. Therefore, environmental and animal health too must be considered to protect human health in the future” Prof. Malavige urged.
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
