President wants everyone over 30 in WP vaccinated by 30 July

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday instructed the Special Committee on Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak to allocate 200,000 out of the two million Sinopharm vaccine doses to be received tomorrow (11) for the Colombo District, 500,000 for Gampaha and 300,000 for Kalutara to vaccinate all persons over the age of 30 in the Western Province before 30 July.

About 100,000 vaccines, each, have been allocated for Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Badulla and Matale Districts and 200,000 vaccines have been allocated for the Kurunegala District.

Moreover, 1.47 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would arrive in Sri Lanka within the next two weeks, the President said. Out of them, 600,000 doses would be allocated to the Colombo District for the people who have received the first dose. The balance should be given as the first and second doses for the people in the Kegalle District.

Plans have been made to administer the Pfizer vaccine to the people in Mannar and Vavuniya Districts while the Moderna vaccine which is to be received will be used in the Kandy District.

President Rajapaksa also instructed that steps be taken to encourage the resumption of economic activities as a significant number of people have been vaccinated. The President added that there was a need to brief the foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka on the local vaccination drive and the current situation in the country.

Ministers Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Bandula Gunawardana, Keheliya Rambukwella, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Prasanna Ranatunga, Namal Rajapaksa, State Ministers Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Channa Jayasumana, Sisira Jayakody, MP Madhura Withanage, Senior Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to Health Ministry Major General (rtd.) Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Commanders of the three Armed Forces, the Inspector-General of Police and the Heads of health sector were also present at the meeting.