GMOA calls for amendments to three COVID-19 control policies

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) yesterday proposed to the Ministry of Health and other relevant authorities to take immediate measures to bring amendments to three main policies related to COVID-19 control.

Accordingly, the GMOA proposed to amend the testing policy, quarantine policy and isolation policy in order to make more accurate predictions on the nature of spread of the COVID-19 virus within the country and take necessary precautions to manage the situation.

Speaking to the media, GMOA Editor Dr. Haritha Aluthge stressed the importance of adapting outbound prediction strategies.

If the country is unable to increase its PCR tests capacity, it is very much essential to use new testing methods such as wastewater testing for COVID-19 currently used in other countries to make predictions of COVID-19 virus.

“The GMOA has already been discussed with the epidemiologists, virologists, community physicians and other relevant authorities. They proposed to pay attention to new methods currently used in other countries to make predictions. Accordingly, now we are in the process of preparing a concept paper with regard to that. This concept paper is scheduled to be published soon,” he said.

He further said that the country’s positive test percentage has been increased to 5-6 percent.

Further elaborating on that, Dr. Aluthge said that the number of positive cases reported in the country remained at 800 when the country conducted 17,000 to 16,000 tests. But now the country conducts around 12,000 PCR tests per a day and more than 800 out of those tested positive.

(Source: Daily News – By Ishara Mudugamuwa)