Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi on behalf of the Government accepted the donation of 1.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine donated by the people of the United States from US Ambassador Alaina B.Teplitz, at the Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday. Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, State Minister Prof Channa Jayasumana, USAID Director Reed Aeschliman and Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Susan Walke were present.
The first consignment of 1.5 million doses of US-developed Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday morning.
This vaccine stock has been donated by the United States through the COVAX facility of the World Health Organization (WHO).
This stock of vaccines was received as a donation from the US Government.
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz officially handed over the stock of vaccines to the Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake.
According to the Health Minister, 750,000 of these vaccine doses are expected to be administered as the first dose, and the remaining 750,000 will be rolled out as the second dose after a one-month period.
This is the fifth vaccine Sri Lanka will be adding to its national inoculation drive.
According to the statistics of the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine has been given to 925,242 individuals and the second dose of the same vaccine has been given to 343,805 persons.
The first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine has been given to 4,053,819 people after it was rolled out among Sri Lankan nationals on May 8. The second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine has been administered to 1,228,527 individuals.
A total of 157,368 individuals have received the first dose of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine and the second dose of the same vaccine has been received by 14,464 individuals.
The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine has been administered to 39,176 individuals.
State Minister of Pharmaceutical Production, Supply and Regulation Prof. Channa Jayasumana, Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga, USAID Country Director Reed Aeschliman, Deputy Head of the US Embassy Susan Walke, Resident Representative of Sri Lanka in the World Health Organization Dr. Alakha Singh and Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga were also present.
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