The Health and Mass Media Ministry has announced that there is currently no threat of spreading the new XEC COVID variant in Sri Lanka and urges the public to refrain from unnecessary panic.
This was announced by Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe based on data from the Epidemiology Unit.
Recent media reports have noted rising infections in some Asian countries, but Dr. Jasinghe explained this could be due to reduced immunity and other factors, not necessarily a new variant.
Nevertheless, the Health Ministry has taken steps to strengthen preparedness and safeguard public health at the national level.
Dr.Jasinghe further said clinical sample testing for COVID-19 is continuously conducted across a network of selected hospitals as part of an integrated respiratory surveillance system.
These tests have not indicated any notable increase in COVID-19 cases at present.
“While minor increases in respiratory illnesses like influenza or COVID-19 may occur from time to time, the overall risk to the public remains low,” the Ministry added.
