(UTV | COLOMBO) – The first consignment of COVID vaccines donated under the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility is to be received by the end of this month, stated Deputy Director-General of Public Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath.
Dr.Herath was speaking at a special media conference held yesterday at the Government Information Department.
“A consignment of free vaccines for 20 per cent of the country’s population is to be received under the COVAX initiative and the first consignment is to be received by the end of this month. We hope that the rest of the vaccine will also be received soon,” he said.
He further said the Government has taken measures to purchase 18 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be sufficient to inoculate nine million persons as two doses are needed per person.
The AstraZeneca vaccine can be kept at normal refrigerator temperatures (Celsius 2 to 8), which will facilitate storage and transport logistics.
“The Government has already planned to utilize 4,000 vaccine centres for this purpose and these centres will administer a total of 300 vaccinations each day, with 2,000 centers in operation per day. So we will be able to administer vaccines for about 600,000 people per a day,” he said. This programme, which will target the general population aged 30-60, will probably start in the first week of March.