Vaccination data foul-up at Health Ministry

Data collected from 300,000 people at the initial stages of vaccination are incomplete and this can lead to serious issues, Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID 19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), General Shavendra Silva says.

General Silva said yesterday that health officials should take steps to rectify the situation. Air Force personnel had been deployed to collect the necessary data from the people as well, he said.

“The issue is with the first million people who were vaccinated. This is a serious problem, given that there are about 600,000 people who have to be given the second dose of AstraZeneca,” he said.

General Silva said that the Army Medical Corps involved in vaccination had computerised the data as regards the people they vaccinated.

“Although we have deployed the Air Force to refine the data, some health officers are not cooperative. At this rate, we can only hope that the mess can be cleared when the people who need the second AstraZeneca jab visit the vaccination centres,” he said. (RK)