Vaccination of Members of the Parliament against the coronavirus pandemic has commenced this morning (February 16).
The vaccination procedures are currently underway at the Army Hospital in Narahenpita.
The parliamentarians are vaccinated with the AstraZeneca (COVISHIELD) vaccine imported from India.
State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana says that the MPs are vaccinated as they have been identified as a group that comes in contact with the public often.
State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Jayasumana points out that this is not a case of ‘jumping the queue’ as they did not receive the vaccination in secrecy.
“It was decided that this opportunity should be given to the parliamentarian as they were identified as a group that frequently comes in contact with the people and as a step taken to minimize the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.
If a group of MPs secretly got vaccinated it would be jumping the queue. They were not prioritized because they were politicians, but because of the risk.”
