Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday, 7 October 2021 04:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
An order has been placed for 6.8 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to be administered as booster shots, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said in Parliament yesterday.
While 14 million doses were secured, Rambukwella said it has been decided that the country required only 6.8 million doses.
“The World Health Organization has issued certain recommendations for persons over the age of 65 but our health units have decided to consider the over-60 age group,” the Health Minister said, adding that frontline workers will also receive a booster dose.
At present, the Pfizer, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sputnik V vaccines are being administered in Sri Lanka with 57,429 COVID-19 vaccines administered on Tuesday.
As of 5 October, 55.47% of the country’s total population has received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to Our World in Data, the first dose of a vaccine has been administered to 67.9% of the country’s total population. In the 20 to 29 age group 55.8% have received the first dose and 14.1% have received the second dose, the Epidemiology Unit states.
A total of 14,615,232 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and, of this, 11,967,327 persons have received the second dose as well.
On Tuesday, 13,975 persons received the first dose of Sinopharm and 24,291 persons received the second dose of Sinopharm. In total, 11,709,060 persons have received the first dose of Sinopharm and 9,439,573 persons have received the second dose as well.
The first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was administered to 1,113 persons on Tuesday and the second dose was administered to 11,459 persons. The first dose of Pfizer has been administered to a total of 469,327 persons, of which 329,470 persons have received the second dose as well.
The Epidemiology Unit states that 1,476,752 persons have received the first dose of AstraZeneca and 1,281,812 persons have received the second dose of the vaccine. On Tuesday, 1,062 persons received the first dose of AstraZeneca, while 5,473 persons received the second dose of the vaccine.
Two persons received the first dose of Moderna on Tuesday, and 54 persons received the second dose. In total, 800,998 persons have received the first dose of Moderna with the second dose administered to 760,920 persons.
A total of 159,095 persons have received the first dose of Sputnik V and 155,552 persons have received the second dose of Sputnik V.
