Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday said that the programme to vaccinate children against COVID-19 will be completed by the end of October.
The vaccination of children between the ages of 12 and 19 years officially commenced yesterday at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo.
The vaccine is initially given to children with physical and mental disorders and the first vaccination was given to a 14-year-old girl from Hunupola, Pahalagama area who had undergone a bone marrow transplant due to thalassemia.
Simultaneously, vaccinations for children were launched at Anuradhapura and Kurunegala hospitals.
The vaccination is carried out under the supervision of a specialist doctor and the health sector has so far identified about 35,000 children between the ages of 12 and 19 with various complications in the country.
Accordingly, they are given the Pfizer vaccine.
The Minister of Health said the programme was discussed at length with health and education sectors and that the vaccination program for children was initiated based on their decisions.
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