Pregnant women and children aged below 18 years will not be vaccinated against COVID-19, says Chief Medical Officer of Health of Colombo Municipal Council Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni.

He noted that people should not have undue fears about getting themselves vaccinated.

Speaking to media today (February 06), Dr. Wijayamuni said people with chronic health conditions and those who suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases should not be afraid of receiving the vaccine.

However, he advised individuals with severe allergic reactions to inform the respective medical officer before receiving the vaccine.

Further, Dr. Wijayamuni said a total of 875 health workers and other officials engaged in COVID-19 prevention efforts in Colombo were vaccinated by the end of yesterday (February 05).

After receiving the vaccine, they showed mild fever, loss of appetite, body aches, joint pains and mild headaches, but no severe complications were reported, he stated.

When the vaccine is administered, the body produces antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2, Dr. Wijayamuni explained. “After receiving the vaccine, even if we come across a person infected with COVID-19, our body will begin producing antibodies against the virus when we are contracting the virus.”

Majority of the people need to be vaccinated in order to increase the level of immunity in the community for preventing the transmission of the virus, Dr. Wijayamuni pointed out.