Sri Lanka is to receive 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as the first batch of the vaccine stock ordered for the country within 7 days, says Army Commander Shavendra Silva.
The Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) mentioned this joining the TV Derana breakfast show ‘Derana Aruna’ this morning (15).
“It is likely that in the next few weeks, in addition to the frontline health staff, the general public will be vaccinated. The government has currently ordered vaccines for 9 million.
The first batch of these ordered vaccines, 500,000 doses, will arrive in Sri Lanka in another week. Accordingly, 18 million vaccines are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka.”
He added that the World Health Organization is also due to provide Sri Lanka with COVID-19 vaccines. Its first batch is due to arrive in the first or the second week of March, the Army Chief said.
General Silva stated that the vaccination of the general public is scheduled to commence next week. He added that the relevant groups and the first batch to be vaccinated have been identified.
“I, too, have not yet been vaccinated as the frontline groups in the army need to be given the opportunity.”
