{"id":116873,"date":"2021-08-07T14:59:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T21:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=116873"},"modified":"2021-08-07T14:59:16","modified_gmt":"2021-08-07T21:59:16","slug":"overcoming-the-covid-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/08\/07\/overcoming-the-covid-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming the COVID-pandemic:"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa Prof. Medicine, Endocrinology, & Nutrition<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

While vaccines are a temporary\nsolution, there is no possibility of generating herd immunity through vaccines\nto eradicate the pandemic.  The current delta mutants, highly infectious,\nmight direct the nations in that direction as nearly achieving in India,\ncertain parts of the USA, and Sri Lanks in months to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protective effects against delta\nvariant from Sinopharm or Sinovac (the worst vaccine) is abysmal, 31%, ~80% of\nSri Lankans have had so far: they are little better than a placebo\ninjection.   Despite spending over $250 million to purchase the\nmentioned worse two (inactivated viral) vaccines (apparently had the highest\ncommissions: coming from China!): they have little effect in controlling the\nspread of the pandemic.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With $2.4 million invested in\na mass-scale distribution of vitamin D, it provided free to people across the\ncountry.  Within a few weeks, it would have markedly improved the immune\nsystems of everyone in the country, allowing effectively to fight against any\nSARS-CoV-2 and all its variants.  This is with no curfew and no economic\nloss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That would have allowed\novercoming SARS-CoV-2 and its mutants lasting for a year naturally (but\nlittle or no commission for crooks)<\/em>.  Although the latter approach is\nhighly cost-effective, it was flatly rejected by the administration.  If\nemployed, it would have efficiently reduced ~80% of hospitalisations, ICU bed\nuse, and deaths AND entirely avoided the current crisis.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People should demand\naccountability: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is time that people start\ndemanding responsible folks accountable for the ongoing tragedy, including\ndeaths.  Meanwhile, Sri Lanka leaders seem not interested in prevention,\nhave no listening skills, and doing none to prevent the tragedy, but a lot of\nworthless talking \/noise.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding structural\nfacilities (e.g., beds), as the army has been \u2018proudly\u2019<\/em> doing since the\nmid-last year, is a wholly wrong approach: it only expands patient population\nand deaths.  Prevention of the disease and stopping developing\ncomplications and deaths are the right approach.<\/strong> Virtually nothing is done\nin this regard.  Why? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importance of sun\nexposure: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the minimum, the government\nshould have advised, as we requested several times (but rejected), using the\nmass media to benefit the public.  It should have advised on daily\nexposure of a third of the skin surface to direct sunlight, between 10.30 AM\nand 1.30 PM, between 30 to 60 minutes (while covering eyes and\nface).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it cost nothing for\nthe government, they would not do it because senior doctors advised\nagainst it.  Thus, they are also accountable for the mess.  It would\nhave reduced COVID complications and avoided the major crises in last October,\nand 2021 April and the current crises.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer-term approaches\nneeded,: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, sun exposure takes\nseveral months to build up blood levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D level above 50\nng\/mL] necessary to boost the immune system.  So, it is a long term\nstrategy to prevent diseases and keeping the population\nhealthy.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lankans are lucky to have\nyear-round sunshine.  If we started a countrywide sun exposure program in\nApril 2020, as I was strongly advising, there would not have a crisis\ntoday.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa (7th<\/sup>\nAugust 2021) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Medicine, Endocrinology,\n& Nutrition <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/vitamindwiki.com\/Boosting+Immunity+with+Vitamin+D+to+reduce+COVID-19+risks+-+Aug+2021<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following is an article that\nmight interest you (published this week\/NSF):
\nPlease\nreview the first article on the following website (it can be download, forward,\nor print, free): <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Sunil-Wimalawansa\/research:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boosting Immunity with Vitamin D for Preventing\nComplications and Deaths from COVID-19<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It summarises research data, including RCTs, of the “effects of vitamin D and calcifediol on preventing COVID-19 complications and deaths.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/sunilwimalawansa_vitamin-d-for-covid-19-real-time-meta-analysis-activity-6829607580164349952-Ty-4<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa Prof. Medicine, Endocrinology, & Nutrition While vaccines are a temporary solution, there is no possibility of generating herd immunity through vaccines to eradicate the pandemic.  The current delta mutants, highly infectious, might direct the nations in that direction as nearly achieving in India, certain parts of the USA, and Sri Lanks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professor-sunil-j-wimalawansa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}