Vaccination: Need of the hour

Everyone is proclaiming that Sri Lanka, which controlled the first wave of the Covid pandemic beautifully, is succumbing to the third wave without even a whimper. The doctors are up in arms and professionals are alarmed. It is urgent we revisit the methods employed in the first wave, and go back to basics of controlling this as top national priority. After all there are countries who are still controlling it successfully, without any collateral damage to lives – Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Australia to name a few.

In the first wave the government followed a procedure of lockdowns and control checks, even before the experts recommended. So it’s not like the knowledge and ability is not there. What has changed in Sri Lanka is the economic concerns, which have suddenly found voice, and it is now trying out and experimenting other methods of control, rather than the tried and proven first one. Like tourist bubbles, quarantine tourism, opening and keeping borders open in spite of the outside worlds’ descent into Covid chaos; especially India, the country we cannot physically distance ourselves from. We need to look at our economic activities urgently and forego the risky ones, like tourism, economic centres, etc., along with religious and cultural activities, as soon as possible. There are many more avenues to keep the economy going than tourism.

This is the urgent need of the hour. All these other economic activities can be resumed, like in the west, once everyone is vaccinated. Vaccination should be the government’s most prioritized economic activity. It is in abysmal shambles at the moment. No stocks. Not enough vaccination centres, the public having to chase the vaccination from pillar to post. This should not take too long if properly and efficiently managed, and then the country can open up permanently. Risk free. Till this happens, in two months or three months or six months, at a speed decided by the government, which should ensure strict and effective health regulations to protect its citizens. That is the government’s prime duty, nothing else should take priority over this, not economic well being, developmental activities, or political aspirations. We have 700 or more deaths and counting in the third wave, which should not have happened if warnings were heard and precautions were in place.

CITIZEN S