News
No vaccine yet for new nurses at COVID-19 treatment centres
View(s):Serious concerns are being expressed over the “dragging of feet” by the Epidemiology Unit in vaccinating more than 2,000 newly-trained nurses who have recently been appointed to COVID-19 treatment centres.
Some excuse or another is being made by epidemiology officials but the vaccination of these nurses is not happening even though the matter has been raised many times at meetings and the public immunisation continues, said sources. The Sunday Times tried to contact the Chief Epidemiologist to seek clarification on the matter but there was no response.
As Sri Lanka, meanwhile, vaccinated the people with both Sputnik V and Sinopharm, strong appeals also went out from experts to hold in stock, the doses required for the second jab.
“We need to learn from the bitter lessons of administering all AstraZeneca’s COVISHIELD vaccine without thinking of the second dose. Ultimately, we were left only with around 300,000 doses when there are 900,000 people needing the second jab,” a source cautioned.
Others also pointed out that whatever stocks of vaccines Sri Lanka had, should be used according to a well-thought-out plan with the priority being given to preventing severe disease and death. This is crucial in a setting where there is a limited stock of vaccines.
Expectations do not match arrivals, some pointed out, referring to expectations of another 600,000 AstraZeenca doses but later hearing that the country may get only 187,000 doses shortly.
“We may get the vaccines over a period of time. However, until we get the vaccines, we are not sure how much we would have in hand,” added a source.
Sri Lanka has so far received 500,000 COVISHIELD vaccine doses as a donation from India, later purchasing another 500,000 of the same vaccine and also receiving 264,000 doses from COVAX, the global vaccine initiative.
Later the country received a donation of 600,000 Sinopharm doses from China and more recently, it purchased 15,000 Sputnik V vaccine doses from Russia.