President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appealed to members of the public to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19 immediately as risks of infection are increasing.

In a special televised statement, the Head of State noted that the number of third- and fourth-dose recipients remain low.

His remarks came amidst the recent uptick in Covid-19 figures in Sri Lanka. Health officials have strongly advised people to wear face masks while in public and to adhere to preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus infection.

Speaking further, President Wickremesinghe said the higher number of Covid-19 cases and deaths witnessed in April dropped considerably over the following two months. Sri Lanka reported more than 1,700 cases and 26 in April which dropped to just 283 cases and 03 deaths in June. However, the figures saw a surge in the month of July, with a total of 1,616 cases and 35 deaths.

With regard to the inoculation drive, the President said the first dose was administered to 17 million people. However, the second dose of the vaccine was obtained by 14 million, and the third dose by only 8 million. There is a drastic drop in the number of people who took their fourth dose against Covid-19, which stands at 22,623 people, he added.