As we are aware since the first case of a Chinese tourist with Covid-19 reported in Sri Lanka in January 2020, Sri Lanka’s response to Covid-19 can be reviewed as provocative. Relevant steps were taken in advance and Sri Lanka was able to hold back the spread till April of 2021, when the restrictions were relaxed.

However, lack of Personal Protection Equipment, a shortage of trained health care providers, unavailability of updated population registers at the local level and lack of consistency in action by the authorities in testing, lackadaisical response to second wave by people and the institution have stood as some of the major challenges to the country’s response to the current situation. Sri Lanka was unable to secure much needed Covid-19 vaccination due to India’s struggles with the pandemic.

Sri Lanka is adding up 2196 new Covid-19 cases a day while, losing 52 people a day. To date Sri Lanka had 246,109 Covid-19 cases and total deaths of 2,769. Sri Lanka has 11,447 Covid-19 infections and 129 deaths per one million population. Sri Lanka has the highest weekly death averages per million people in the region with 2.49 deaths (52 deaths a day), Compared to Maldives with 2.11 deaths, India with 1.27 deaths, Bangladesh with 0.39 deaths, Pakistan with 0.16 deaths. United States has a weekly death average of 0.89 deaths. On April 26, 2021, Sri Lanka Weekly death average per million was 0.18 Deaths. Eek ago, Sri Lanka had a weekly death average of 3.44, which was one of the highest in the world.

Currently Sri Lanka is losing nearly 52-60 everyday people. We all are at the risk of loosing our relatives and close friends in our motherland. Only solution is to obtain more vaccines. As we are currently shut out of vaccines from India (due to their own struggles), Sri Lanka’s only hope remains with vaccines from US and from China. Currently we have about 600,000 people who have got vaccinated with COVISHEILD (AstraZeneca) vaccine and not being able to get their second vaccine due to unavailability of the AstraZeneca Vaccine. USA has about 500 million doses of AstraZeneca doses and Biden Administration is planning to distribute them globally.

Latest communication indicates that approximately 16 million doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine being allocated for Asia to the following countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific Islands. Population wise of the countries on the above list, Sri Lanka is only ahead of Bhutan, Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Island, thus our vaccine allocation needs to be made on our alarming death rate.

We need to make a push to obtain as many vaccines as possible to Sri Lanka. This can only be done by the Sri Lankan American Citizens calling their Congressmen/Women. We need everyone of you to call to save lives.

Firstly – Please call/email your congressman/woman today and leave/send a message. A guide on how to call and what to say is attached.

How to call your representative

Secondly – If you wish, please make a donation of $ 10.00 0r more for COVID-19 Relief Funds to one of the following trusted organizations:

Sri Lanka Foundation at:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KY287N6MD8ZJ8

Sri Lanka America Association at:
https://paypal.me/SLAASC?locale.x=en_US)