Government to Absorb 1,000 Nurses to ICUs

The Ministry of Health has decided to absorb around 1,000 nurses, both male and female, to the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of hospitals countrywide, due to the sudden upsurge in the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Sources from the Ministry said this decision had been taken with the intention of maintaining an uninterrupted service of the ICUs of all Government hospitals throughout the country. The Ministry said all those who are absorbed into these units would be provided with in-house training.

Meanwhile, persons aged between 30 and 60 from Gothatuwa, Colombo will be vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 jab, from today (6), the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), quoting State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Prof. Channa Jayasumana, said. The Epidemiology Unit website stated that by 4 May 2021, some 21,715 persons had received the second jab of the OxfordAstraZeneca Covishield vaccine.

The country’s COVID-19 recoveries topped 100,000, with the recovery of 922 patients being discharged within the last 24 hours. According to the Epidemiology Unit’s Website, the total recoveries till yesterday morning were 100,075. The total number of confirmed cases till now are 115,590. The surge in COVID-19 cases should be taken seriously, as we may be entering one of the most challenging chapters yet, Officerin-Charge of the World Health Organisation in Sri Lanka, Dr. Olivia Nieveras said. She added the health workers, Security Forces, and other local authorities could not singlehandedly work towards a drop in the number of cases and that the public should follow health guidelines to mitigate the spread.

“This is the most challenging crisis faced since the Second World War and it has not spared any country including Sri Lanka,” she added. She said the public should support the Government and frontline workers, who are working tirelessly to control the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the State Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, Rural and Ayurveda Hospital Development and Community Health has urged the public not to try out a multitude of local medicines and recipes that have been published on various social media platforms and on the Internet as possible cures for COVID-19. The State Ministry says trying out any type of medicines or drugs sans medical approval would lead to unforeseen complications and hence, they have advised the public to be wary of such advertisements on the said sites.

(Source: Ceylon Today – By Dilanthi Jayamanne, Faadhila Thassim & Kumudu Upul Shantha)