Increased PCR testing across the country

Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Health, Dr. Anil Jasinghe has said that PCR testing would be increased across the country to monitor whether the newly emerging COVID-19 variant JN.1, currently spreading across the Asian region, is rapidly spreading in Sri Lanka as well.

 Addressing a press conference at the Health Education Bureau in Colombo on Wednesday evening, Dr. Jasinghe said that these tests would be conducted at government hospitals.

 The Health Secretary mentioned that the country’s health authorities had paid close attention to the newly spreading COVID variant, which is again appearing in several countries in Asia and around the world. However, he noted that this new virus had not yet been found to be deadly.

“There appears to be a slight uptick in this variant due to decreased human immunity.

Reports of its spread have emerged in Hong Kong, India, and Singapore within the Asian region.

“The situation in Singapore is concerning. While there is no reason to panic, we cannot say with certainty that the JN.1 variant will not enter Sri Lanka,” Dr. Jasinghe said, adding that an increase in patient numbers may occur during the months of May and June, and advised people with flu-like symptoms to wear face masks.

By Prasanna Paradeep Samarakoon