A new batch of Public Health Inspectors (PHI) will pass out next month.
The people should understand that it takes one and half years to produce a PHI and do their best to stop the spread of Covid-19, Health Services Deputy Director General Dr. Hemantha Herath said.
He told the media at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) in Colombo yesterday that it is the responsibility of all to get together to stop the spread of Covid-19. Pointing fingers at each other will not do any good and it will only worsen the situation. According to Dr. Herath, it is the responsibility of the media to point out shortcomings of the Covid-19 control program to the relevant authorities without blaming everything on the health authorities.
It is a collective effort and not handled by the Health Ministry alone.
It is a myth to believe that vaccination will fully control or end Covid-19. Vaccination cannot control the spread of the disease or protect a person 100 percent.
No one yet knows exactly how long natural immunity lasts in someone’s body after getting infected but it is obvious that this immunity lasts inside the body at least for two weeks. Therefore, there is no possibility of getting infected for the second time if another family member becomes positive, he said.
It is the responsibility of all Department Heads to ensure that Covid-19 does not spread among the employees.
This cannot be done by bringing people to courts and filing cases against them.
Services such as transport and allied institutions should get ready now without wasting time to follow all operational guidelines when the country opens again. All arrangements should be made now, he said.