Sri Lanka banks on vaccination to see it through delta surge

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — When a 51-year-old tutor suffered a heart attack in Sri Lanka’s capital, his friends and family were faced with a difficult problem. The father of three tested positive for COVID-19, which meant he’d need to go to a special ICU for virus patients. All of them were occupied, and he died the following day. His death is a worrying sign of how a new virus surge driven by the delta variant is swamping Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean island nation is betting on its vaccination campaign. While it’s made progress toward its goal of inoculating 70% of the population, the vaccines Sri Lanka is using are not as strong against the delta variant.