COVID-19 vaccination programme to be stepped up

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has drawn out a comprehensive programme to vaccinate the majority of the population before end of September.

Accordingly the districts where residents are most vulnerable for COVID19 will be given priority during this month.

Accordingly, out of the two million vaccines to be received on July 11, 200,000 will be allocated for the Colombo District, 500,000 for Gampaha and 300,000 for Kalutara and the vaccination of all persons over the age of 30 in the Western Province should be completed before the 30th of this month, the President said.

The President made this observation at a meeting with the Special Committee on COVID-19 held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (9).

One hundred thousand vaccines have been allocated for Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Badulla, Matale districts and two hundred thousand for Kurunegala district. The President informed the Health Services of the need to provide these vaccines in a systematic and expeditious manner, the President’s office said.

About 1.47 million Astrazeneca vaccine are expected in the next two weeks. 600,000 of which will be allocated to the Colombo District where the first dose has been obtained. The President instructed that the rest be given for the first and second doses in the Kegalle District.

The Pfizer vaccine has so far been given to the Mannar and Vavuniya districts and the Modernna vaccine to the Kandy district. It was decided to distribute the forthcoming vaccine in a scientific manner, taking into account the spread of COVID19, the President’s office said.

President Rajapaksa also instructed that necessary steps be taken to provide more space for economic activities as a significant proportion of vaccinations have already taken place.

(Pix by President's Media Division)