First batch of COVID-19 vaccines here on Wednesday

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from India would arrive in the country on Wednesday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced at Yattapatha, Kalutara, on Friday evening during the latest Gama Samaga Pilisandara programme.

The vaccine would be given to health and security forces personnel in the frontline of battle against the coronavirus on the next day, he said.

Rajapaksa said that China and Russia, too, would send its vaccine and there would be enough vaccine doses to vaccinate all above the age of 18.

Rajapaksa also spoke about the East Container Terminal. “The previous government signed a MoU with India on the ECT. We can’t just cancel agreements with two nations on a whim. When I met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I spoke to him in-depth and explained our stance on the ECT. The main source of income of the ECT will be the re-export of containers and India accounts for 66% of that transshipment traffic. So we have to understand our situation. 51% of the ECT will remain with the Ports Authority. The remaining 49% will be held by Indian, Japanese and Sri Lankan companies,” he said.