State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana says vaccinations of persons between the ages of 18 and 30, against the coronavirus, will commence after all those above the age of 30 are vaccinated.
The State Minister speaking to media in Colombo said, another four million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine are due to arrive in the island next week for this purpose.
The State Minister said 11.5 million persons in the country are above the age of 30 adding that 10 million have thus far been administered at least one dose with another 15 million left to be vaccinated.
He noted that following the completion of this vaccination drive, individuals between 18 and 30 years will be vaccinated.
The State Minister also claimed certain individuals refusing to obtain any other vaccine other than the Moderna or Pfizer BioNTech vaccines is concerning.
He said vaccine doses have been segregated according to district level and therefore urged the public to obtain any vaccine that is available in one’s particular region.
He claimed that delaying obtaining the vaccine will pose great risks especially at a time that the Delta virus variant is rapidly spreading.
Jayasumana also claimed that when evaluating COVID-19 related deaths, most victims are elderly, with health complications or are non-vaccinated.
He noted that the Ministry of Health introduced a mobile vaccination drive, where medical staff visit homes to administer vaccine doses, for those unable to visit centres.
He therefore earnestly requested persons above the age of 60 to promptly get vaccinated.
