Community Resilience and Adaptive Capacity: An Integrative Perspective

The aim of this paper is to examine the adaptive capacity for community resilience. Adaptive capacity supports the residents of a local community to survive and recover during and after a disaster. The holistic view of community resilience is seen as personal attributes possessed by community residents which enables them to survive during and after a disaster. Reviewed articles and other secondary sources that discussed on the topic of community resilience and adaptive capacity were used for this study through content analysis and empirical evidence. The discussion of the theories in this paper shed more light towards understanding the four-way adaptive capacity. Community resilience increases the chance of community adaptation during and after a disaster. This study will encourage private businesses and professional individuals to become part of a community by providing them with resources needed to survive in the face or after a disaster. It will also contribute to related research in the future which focuses on adaptive capacity for community resilience.

Community Work Approach in Addressing Social Problems: Three Community Case Studies from Sri Lanka

Human development is at the center of social work to intervene in diverse problems affecting humanity. Community work is a direct method of community development that attempts to serve many people at a macro level. A community case study documents a local experience about delivering services to meet an identified need. This paper aims to illustrate three examples of community case studies that were developed while working with three diverse communities in Sri Lanka. The first community case study describes efforts to efforts to promote social harmony through child engagement in a rural community with ethnoreligious diversity in the Polonnaruwa District. The second community case study documents prioritizing several problems faced by an urban, underserved community located close to the Kolonnawa Garbage dump in the Colombo District. The third case study is on women's engagement in community development and harmony in a peri-urban community in the Gampaha District. The paper provides evidence for the effectiveness of community work in addressing diverse social issues in communities.

කෝවිඩ් - 19 ගෝලීය වසංගත තත්ත්වය තුළ ආගමික නායකයන්ගේ අභිමත භූමිකා අට පිළිබඳ CORRECT-19 ආකෘතිය

ආපදා, හදිසි තත්ත්ව, ගැටලුකාරී අවස්ථා ආදී වූ විවිධ අභියෝගාත්මක අවස්ථාවන්හිදී ආගමික නායකයින්ගේ උපකාරය නන් අයුරින් සමාජයට ලැබේ. කෝවිඩ්-19 කාල පරිච්ඡේදයද, ලෝකයේ විවිධ ප්‍රජාවන්ට ඔවුන් දක්වන එම දායකත්වය පිළිඹිබු වන අවස්ථාවකි. නමුත්, ඇතැම් ආගමික නායකයින් මෙම ව්‍යසනය පාලනයට ලබා දී ඇති උපදෙස් වලට පටහැනිව ක්‍රියා කළ අවස්ථා ද දක්නට ලැබේ, නිදසුනක් ලෙස, සෞඛ්‍යය අමාත්‍යාංශය විසින් ලබා දී ඇති උපදෙස් වලට අවනත නොවන අයුරින් පිරිස් එක් රැස් වන ආගමික වැඩසටහන් පැවැත්වීම දැක්විය හැකිය. එමනිසා, මෙම ව්‍යසනකාරී තත්ත්වය තුළ ඒ සඳහා ආගමික නායකයින්ගේ භූමිකාව ධනාත්මක හා ඍණාත්මක යන දෙආකාරයෙන් ම බලපැවැත්වන බව පැහැදිළි වේ. Resilience Research, Training and Consulting ආයතනය Awareness with Human Action (AHA) ව්‍යාපෘතියේ දායකත්වයෙන් හා යුරෝපා සංගමයේ අනුග්‍රාහකත්වයෙන් කෝවිඩ් 19 (කොරෝනා) ගෝලීය වසංගත තත්වය තුළ ආගමික දායකත්වය තුළින් ප්‍රජාව සවිබල ගැන්වීම (CORRECT-19) යන තේමාව යටතේ ව්‍යාපෘතියත් දියත් කරනු ලැබේ. CORRECT-19 ව්‍යාපෘතියෙහි කොටසක් ලෙස, අප විසින් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ විවිධ ආගමික, ඇදහිලි/ විශ්වාස, සහ ආධ්‍යාත්මික සම්ප්‍රදායන් වලට අයත් නායකයින් සමඟ කෝවිඩ්-19 තත්ත්වය තුළ ඔවුන්ගේ දායකත්වය පිළිබඳව කණ්ඩායම් සාකච්ඡා සහ පුද්ගලික සම්මුඛ සාකච්ඡා සිදු කරනු ලැබේ. මෙහිදී, අප විසින් අපේක්ෂිත චර්යා, අනපේක්ෂිත චර්යා සහ අපේක්ෂිත භූමිකා හඳුනා ගැනීම සඳහා ප්‍රමුඛ බටහිර වෛද්‍ය හා වසංගත රෝග පර්යෙෂණ ක්‍රම අපේක්ෂිත/ අනපේක්ෂිත චර්යා හඳුනා ගැනීමෙහි ප්‍රධාන සාධකය ලෙස භාවිතා කරමින් අන්තර්ගත විශ්ලේෂණයක් සිදු කරන ලදි. CORRECT-19 ආකෘතිය කෝවිඩ්-19 ව්‍යසන කාලය තුළ ආගමික නායකයින්ගෙන් අපේක්ෂිත භූමිකා 8ක් ඔස්සේ අධ්‍යනය කෙරෙයි, එනම්, ආගමික මඟපෙන්වන්නා, සෞඛ්‍ය ප්‍රවර්ධක, හෘදයාංගම මිතුරා, සමාජ සේවක, ප්‍රජා බලමුළුකරු, ජාලකරු, සාමකරු හා උද්දේශකරු යනාදියයි. මෙම භූමිකා 8 නිර්මාණය කීරීමෙහිලා අපගේ අභිලාෂය වනුයේ පවතින තත්ත්වය හමුවේ ආගමික නායකයෙකුගෙන් බලාපොරොත්තු වන කාර්යභාරය නිරූපණය කර දැක්වීමයි. මෙම භූමිකා අට විදහා දැක්වෙන CORRECT-19 ආකෘතිය කෝවිඩ්-19 මැඩලීමට ආගමික නායකයින් ක්‍රියාකාරී හා ඵලදායී ලෙස මැදිහත් වන ආකාරය දක්වන සන්නිවේදන හා දැනුවත්භාවය ඇති කිරීමේ මෙවලමකි.

The CORRECT-19 Model: Eight Desired Roles of Religious Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Religious leaders support communities in multiple ways during challenges such as disasters, emergencies, conflicts, and outbreaks. The COVID-19 Pandemic, too, has demonstrated the contribution of religious leaders in assisting communities across the world. On the other hand, a minority of religious leaders also have contributed to the aggravation of the outbreak, for example, by organizing religious mass gatherings, neglecting the warning given by health authorities. Thus, it is evident that the religious leaders have had both positive and negative roles during the Pandemic. The Resilience Research, Training and Consulting is implementing a project titled COmmunity Resilience through Religious Engagement for Community Trust during Covid-19 (CORRECT-19) through a grant supported by the Awareness with Human Action (AHA) project funded by the European Union. As a part of the CORRECT-19 project, we are conducting a series of focus group discussions and key informant interviews with the religious leaders from multiple religions, faiths, and spiritual traditions in Sri Lanka on their contributions during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We used content analysis to identify undesired behaviors, desired behaviors, and desired roles, using the evidence from the mainstream western medical and epidemiological systems as the point of reference in determining what is desired and undesired. The CORRECT-19 Model enlists eight desired roles of religious leaders during the Pandemic, namely the Faith-Setter, Health Promoter, Be-Friender, Social Worker, Community Mobilizer, Networker, Peacebuilder, and Advocate. We designed eight representative infographics to communicate the desired roles of religious leaders during the Pandemic. The CORRECT-19 Model depicting the eight desired roles is a helpful communication and advocacy tool in the active and meaningful engagement of religious leaders in managing the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Post Mortem of Press Releases of the First 300 COVID-19 Deaths in Sri Lanka

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) had massive health, economic, social, and fiscal demands on governments. Communicating about the COVID-19 deaths to the general public by the governments is a challenging task. Department of Government Information (DOGI) communicated about the COVID-19 deaths in Sri Lanka by publishing daily press releases online and in other audio-visual media. The objective of this study was to examine the DOGI press releases of the first 300 COVID-19 deaths in Sri Lanka in retrospect. The information on COVID-19 deaths and associated factors were extracted and analyzed from the press releases. Eighty-nine press releases issued from 25.05.2020 to 30.01.2021 on the first 300 COVID-19 deaths were analyzed. Out of the 300 deaths, the information was available on 271 out of 300 deaths (90.33%) in the DOGI press releases we studied. For the large majority (264, 97.41%) of the deaths, the Director General of Health Services was stated as the source of information. The majority of the persons who died were over 60 (n = 191, 70.48%). Most of the persons who died from COVID-19 were males, n = 168, 61.99%, and were from the Colombo district (n = 165, 60.88%). Most of the deaths (n = 177, 65.31%) have occurred while the patient was taking treatment in a hospital. The most common comorbidity reported among the persons who died of COVID-19 was hypertension (n = 24, 8.86%). Publication of written press releases summarizing the information on COVID-19 deaths in Sri Lanka is a best practice in reporting mortality and communicating risk. The analysis of press releases of COVID-19 deaths can provide useful information about the mortality pattern, which is recommended to be carried out regularly.

Online Learning: An Overview

During the coronavirus pandemic, the lockdown of organisations, schools and universities has forced people to spend more time at home. For business necessity, occupational therapy, education and entertainment adults and children spend more of their waking hours using the Internet. Of longer-term significance we do not know what the job market will look like in future years; today we have little idea of primary and secondary learning needs. Much of what is currently taught may be irrelevant for future occupations. This review exemplifies what can be achieved in confinement with only a computer and connection to the Internet. Although the high cost of hardware and software for connection to the Internet may be offset by reduced transport and travel, there are other risks associated with increased hours spent looking at a screen. The many intellectual and social skills, such as team working, leadership, debating and problem-solving abilities, earlier acquired through school playground games, social working and other communal situations, may become underdeveloped. Inadequate attention to appropriate ergonomics can result in damage to or impairment of posture, sight and other physical and mental health characteristics. Traditionally, life has been divided into two main parts: a period of learning followed by a period of working. Soon the traditional model may become obsolete, and the only way for humans to stay in employment will be to continue learning or to re-school themselves repeatedly. Limitations of finances and time will increase the demand for low-cost or free Online Learning courses.

How would Widespread Community Transmission of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka look like? A Population-based Simulation

Widespread community transmission of Covid-19 can overwhelm the capacity of health systems; Sri Lanka is no exception. We simulated the widespread community transmission of Covid-19 in Sri Lanka, using the Susceptibility, Infected and Removed (SIR) model through the Penn State University CHIME Model incorporated to ArcGIS Pro, by introducing one case of Covid-19 to the current population in each of the 26 health districts and running the model for 365 days. The simulation revealed that the number of patients requiring admissions, ICU care, and mechanical ventilation would peak at 1942, 583, and 388 per day, respectively, around 213 days from the onset. The cumulative number of cases needing admission, ICU care, and ventilation will be 245,916, 73,775, and 49,183 after 365 days. Colombo and Gampaha districts will report the highest number of daily total numbers of hospitalized cases over 1680. Health authorities can use the results of such simulations to prepare to face the worst-case scenarios of the Covid-19 outbreak to minimize morbidity and mortality. Keywords: Covid-19, Community Transmission, SIR Model, CHIME, Outbreak, Simulation, Prediction

Enhancing Health System Resilience: Practical and Cost-effective Approaches to Face the COVID-19 Pandemic by Base Hospital UdugamaSri Lanka

COVID-19 is a pandemic from pneumonia of unknown origin, first reported in Wuhan city China as information extracted from the World Health Organization. It was first reported in Sri Lanka on 27 January 2020 by a Chinese tourist. Handing the COVID-19 situation with scarce recourses within a limited time was challenging for the government hospitals. This paper aims to describe the practical and cost-effective actions implemented at the Base Hospital Udugama to enhance the health system resilience to prepare, respond to, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. We did a retrospective evaluation of the COVID-19 control project at the Base Hospital Udugama. The daily interventions carried out at the Base Hospital Udugama to prepare, respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic were documented in a journal. Also, we preserved evidence through photographs while collecting data from the routine hospital records. The temporally established COVID-19 coordinating committee managed all the activities. The committee increased awareness among staff and the public, maintained stock of Personal Protective Equipment, established preventive measures, established an isolation unit, arranged community sample collection, continued essential routine healthcare services and distribution of the clinic drugs to the doorsteps of the patients while protecting the Hospital staff against COVID-19. Even though the management of the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge to the Base Hospital Udugama, with strong leadership and effective coordination with different units and departments within and beyond the hospital, it was possible to manage the response efficiently and effectively. We recommend enhancing the health system's resilience through timely investments in peripheral hospitals coupled with capacity building targeting multiple hazards, including pandemics. Keywords: COVID 19, Pandemic, Prevention, Resilience, Preparedness, Response.

Eighty-six percent of Sri Lankans Wish to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine: A Window of Opportunity for Rolling Out a Successful Vaccination Campaign

All countries look up to the COVID-19 vaccine as the panacea against the pandemic. COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have been rolled out globally, while Sri Lanka, too, is ready for its own. To assess the public opinion concerning the COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka, we carried out an online survey from 17.12.2020 to 18.01.2021. Eighty-six percent (n = 1080) of the respondents reed to accept the vaccine. In the meantime, 9 % (n = 108) did not agree to receive the vaccine, while 5% (n = 62) had no idea. The protection given by the vaccine, trends in spreading the disease in the country, and the trust in the vaccine were reasons given for agreeing to get it. Reasons for not agreeing to get the vaccine were “being developed too fast”, the concern of side effects, and lack of trust in the vaccine. Ninety-one percent (n = 1120) of respondents agreed that other preventive measures such as handwashing, social distancing, and wearing face masks must be continued even with COVID-19 vaccination. The respondents prioritized frontline staff, elderly persons, and persons with chronic diseases for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine first. Transparent and accountable vaccine procurement, a robust health system with a well-performing Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI), and creative vaccine financing tools were seen as key strengths in the COVID-19 vaccination program. Besides, Sri Lanka, a health-literate and vaccine loving nation with an almost non-existent anti-vaccination movement, was also seen as a crucial contributor. While the current public opinion provides an ideal ground for a successful COVID-19 vaccination program, due to the inherent vulnerability of misinformation and outrages associated with adverse events following immunization, existing programs for surveillance of adverse events following immunization and surveillance risk communication strategy must be augmented. The window of opportunity of favorable public opinion must be utilized to roll out a successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Sri Lanka. Keywords: COVID-19, Vaccine acceptance, Vaccine hesitancy, COVAX, Sri Lanka

Eighty-six percent of Sri Lankans Wish to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine: A Window of Opportunity for Rolling Out a Successful Vaccination Campaign

All countries look up to the COVID-19 vaccine as the panacea against the pandemic. COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have been rolled out globally, while Sri Lanka, too, is ready for its own. To assess the public opinion concerning the COVID-19 vaccination in Sri Lanka, we carried out an online survey from 17.12.2020 to 18.01.2021. Eighty-six percent (n = 1080) of the respondents reed to accept the vaccine. In the meantime, 9 % (n = 108) did not agree to receive the vaccine, while 5% (n = 62) had no idea. The protection given by the vaccine, trends in spreading the disease in the country, and the trust in the vaccine were reasons given for agreeing to get it. Reasons for not agreeing to get the vaccine were “being developed too fast”, the concern of side effects, and lack of trust in the vaccine. Ninety-one percent (n = 1120) of respondents agreed that other preventive measures such as handwashing, social distancing, and wearing face masks must be continued even with COVID-19 vaccination. The respondents prioritized frontline staff, elderly persons, and persons with chronic diseases for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine first. Transparent and accountable vaccine procurement, a robust health system with a well-performing Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI), and creative vaccine financing tools were seen as key strengths in the COVID-19 vaccination program. Besides, Sri Lanka, a health-literate and vaccine loving nation with an almost non-existent anti-vaccination movement, was also seen as a crucial contributor. While the current public opinion provides an ideal ground for a successful COVID-19 vaccination program, due to the inherent vulnerability of misinformation and outrages associated with adverse events following immunization, existing programs for surveillance of adverse events following immunization and surveillance risk communication strategy must be augmented. The window of opportunity of favorable public opinion must be utilized to roll out a successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Sri Lanka. Keywords: COVID-19, Vaccine acceptance, Vaccine hesitancy, COVAX, Sri Lanka