Vaccination of non-frontline workers can start next week

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Vaccination of non-frontline workers could start from next week, Army Commander and Head of the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID- 19 Outbreak General Shavendra Silva said yesterday.

The first batch of vaccines consisting of 500,000 doses for the general public would arrive in Sri Lanka in the next seven days, he said.

About 250,000 doses of the Indian vaccine remained, he said.

“India gave us 500,000 does free of charge and they were meant for frontline workers. We gave them the first jab and initially we planned to give them the second  jab after four to six weeks. However, now there is a belief that for better effects the second jab should be given 12 weeks later. So, the President has asked us to look at the possibility of using the 250,000 doses to inoculate members of the public.”

Gen. Silva said that the government had placed an order for 18 million vaccines. This should be able to vaccinate nine million Sri Lankans.

“First 500,000 of these will arrive within seven days and the balance too will come soon,” he said.

The Army Commander added that a separate stock of vaccines donated by the WHO would also arrive within the first two weeks of March.

“We have already identified who should get the jab first. Even I have not been vaccinated. The Army frontline staff got priority,” he said.General Silva also said that the WHO experts had told the Sri Lankan officials that they could provide vaccines for 27% of the population.