Galle residents protest over irregular vaccination programme for Western Province families

Residents of Galle have complained to health authorities about the Medical Office of Health in the region providing the second dose of the Covishield Astrazeneca vaccine for persons from Colombo when the area residents did not have sufficient doses.

The vaccination programme took place on Monday (7) and is set to continue today at the Galle MOH office.

More than 100 vehicles from the Western province had brought family members of doctors, businessman, certain government officials and police persons for the vaccination programme.

Residents in the area who had arrived to take the vaccine were told that there were doses left for them.

However, Director Health Services for Galle Priyantha Jeewarathna said that as there were some remaining vaccines they had decided to give the second dose.

He said that anybody in the country was able to come and obtain the vaccines.

Meanwhile police said the persons from the Western province had travelled to the south using the expressway and had showed the vaccination card issued to them when they obtained the first dose of the Astrazeneca vaccine.

Currently some 600,000 persons are awaiting the second dose of the Astrazeneca vaccine though the initial due date had lapsed.

(Pix by Surangika Lokukarawita)