Friday Nov 22, 2024
Friday Nov 22, 2024
Thursday, 24 June 2021 01:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A total of 78,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines are due to arrive in the island during the first three weeks of July and the vaccines will be used to meet AstraZeneca second dose demands in the country.
According to Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana, the Pfizer vaccine doses will be used to vaccinate persons who received the first dose of AstraZeneca and are awaiting their second dose.
Sri Lankan will receive the doses in shipments of 26,000 doses per week, with the first lot due by 6 July. The country is due to receive a total of five million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this year.
“The World Health Organization has informed us that they will provide 264,000 doses of AstraZeneca through their COVAX facility during the first two weeks of July,” Prof. Jayasumana said.
He went on to say that the country would receive Moderna COVID-19 vaccines from the US global vaccine sharing initiative and that these too, would be used to administer the second jab to persons who received the first dose of AstraZeneca.
At present, the first dose of AstraZeneca has been administered to 925,242 persons and the second dose to 372,675 persons. Persons who received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine include 385 persons vaccinated on Tuesday.
The country has received 1,264,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines, including 264,000 doses received through COVAX.
In addition to AstraZeneca, the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine as well as the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine are currently being administered in the country. According to the Epidemiology Unit, 5,131 persons received the first dose of Sinopharm on Tuesday and 15,278 persons received the second dose of the vaccine. In total, the first dose has been administered to 1,448,601 persons and the second dose has been administered to 470,870 persons.
The second dose of Sputnik V was administered to 22 persons on Tuesday. The Epidemiology Unit states that 113,454 persons have received the first dose of Sputnik V and 14,323 persons have received the second dose of the vaccine.
In total, 2,487,297 persons have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 857,868 persons have received the second dose.
Raising concerns about the apparel sector, the Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) yesterday requested that vaccination for apparel sector workers is fast tracked.
“A large number of patients are detected from several apparel manufacturing facilities in the country to an extent where the situation is difficult to control. We request that apparel sector workers are vaccinated and protected from COVID-19 as soon as possible,” PHIU President Upul Rohana said.
