Sri Lanka has made great leeway into making sure most of its population has been vaccinated. Yet, according to Colombo District Secretary Pradeep Yapa, nearly 150,000 people have not been vaccinated in the Colombo District, as revealed by a survey conducted in 557 grama niladhari divisions in the country’s capital. Out of the 150,000, about 99,373 people were between the ages of 30 to 59, and the remaining 46,600 were elderly citizens above the age of 60.
While not much can be done about the young and middle-aged citizens that stubbornly refuse to take the vaccines due to various rumours surrounding it, or simply don’t understand the risk they themselves are facing and theory making other people face, elderly people now have hope.
Taking into consideration the fact that citizens above the age of 60 may be bedridden or otherwise unable to walk or stand in queues for long periods of time, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) recently launched a mobile vaccination drive targeting citizens who may be facing these issues. CMC Epidemiologist Dr. Dinu Guruge yesterday (12) officially tweeted that said programme has been organised for citizens who are immobile/bedridden and are not able to go to a vaccination centre organised by the CMC. The programme has now been ongoing successfully for the last five days.
Any citizen residing in Colombo 1-15 in need of this special service must register to the email address mobilevaccination@colombo.mc.gov.lk by providing the name, national identity card (NIC) number, address, mobile number, and the reason of request, she added, and said that the CMC would send those who registered an SMS with the relevant details of when and where they could get the vaccine.
Following this initiative, the Sri Lanka Army yesterday also launched a special mobile vaccination programme in the Western Province to provide the Covid-19 vaccines to the elderly and differently-abled persons who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccines.
The programme commenced under the patronage of Army Commander and National Operation Center for the Prevention of Covid- 19 Outbreak Head Gen. Shavendra Silva at the Army Headquarters at Akuregoda, Pelawatta yesterday.
A team of doctors from the Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps and about 10 special vehicles have been deployed for this purpose. Anyone wishing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine through this programme can register by calling 011 2860002 or 1906.
Gen. Silva, who was present at the event, informed the media that there were reports of significant numbers of people in the Colombo District who had not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 and that it was difficult to get the elderly and differently-abled persons to the vaccination centres.
Accordingly, he also commented that this programme was arranged to facilitate the provision of vaccines to such persons and as a first step, Covid-19 vaccines were given to residents of the Colombo North area in the Colombo District under the Mobile Vaccination Programme from 10 a.m. yesterday.
“They were informed by telephone on 11 August at what time the teams would be present at their residences. Accordingly, vaccines were given to the elderly and differently-abled persons in Colombo North yesterday and would be provided to those residing in Colombo South today (13) through this programme,” he noted.
Speaking to Chief of Staff to Mayor of Colombo Kishan Karunaratne on why the drive was initiated, he informed us that they received a directive from the Government to start a mobile vaccination programme. “All the vaccinations we get come from the central Government so the CMC also has to follow the guidelines. We, at the CMC, have our own medical infrastructure like ambulances, doctors and nurses, so we are able to carry out this programme successfully while adhering to the vaccination health regulations.”
Karunaratne added that the Sri Lanka Army will be conducting the drive throughout the whole of the Western Province, while the CMC will focus on Colombo 1-15.
He also commented that as resources are limited and this is targeted solely towards those who are otherwise unable to get the vaccination, people should think twice before requesting it unnecessarily.
Setting an example for other districts in the city “about 85% of the citizens over 60 in Colombo are vaccinated, at least with the first dose,” Karunaratne stated, adding that the city is almost entirely covered. Because of the vaccinations being done early in the city, he commented that we are seeing the fruits of that when taking into consideration the fact that Colombo has fewer deaths than in the other districts. “Of course, a death is a death, and a loss of life, but Colombo being a highly congested populus, has managed to reduce the death toll, so it is safe to say that the vaccination is working,” he concluded.
While not much can be done about the young and middle-aged citizens that stubbornly refuse to take the vaccines due to various rumours surrounding it, or simply don’t understand the risk they themselves are facing and theory making other people face, elderly people now have hope.
Taking into consideration the fact that citizens above the age of 60 may be bedridden or otherwise unable to walk or stand in queues for long periods of time, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) recently launched a mobile vaccination drive targeting citizens who may be facing these issues. CMC Epidemiologist Dr. Dinu Guruge yesterday (12) officially tweeted that said programme has been organised for citizens who are immobile/bedridden and are not able to go to a vaccination centre organised by the CMC. The programme has now been ongoing successfully for the last five days.
Any citizen residing in Colombo 1-15 in need of this special service must register to the email address mobilevaccination@colombo.mc.gov.lk by providing the name, national identity card (NIC) number, address, mobile number, and the reason of request, she added, and said that the CMC would send those who registered an SMS with the relevant details of when and where they could get the vaccine.
Following this initiative, the Sri Lanka Army yesterday also launched a special mobile vaccination programme in the Western Province to provide the Covid-19 vaccines to the elderly and differently-abled persons who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccines.
The programme commenced under the patronage of Army Commander and National Operation Center for the Prevention of Covid- 19 Outbreak Head Gen. Shavendra Silva at the Army Headquarters at Akuregoda, Pelawatta yesterday.
A team of doctors from the Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps and about 10 special vehicles have been deployed for this purpose. Anyone wishing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine through this programme can register by calling 011 2860002 or 1906.
Gen. Silva, who was present at the event, informed the media that there were reports of significant numbers of people in the Colombo District who had not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19 and that it was difficult to get the elderly and differently-abled persons to the vaccination centres.
Accordingly, he also commented that this programme was arranged to facilitate the provision of vaccines to such persons and as a first step, Covid-19 vaccines were given to residents of the Colombo North area in the Colombo District under the Mobile Vaccination Programme from 10 a.m. yesterday.
“They were informed by telephone on 11 August at what time the teams would be present at their residences. Accordingly, vaccines were given to the elderly and differently-abled persons in Colombo North yesterday and would be provided to those residing in Colombo South today (13) through this programme,” he noted.
Speaking to Chief of Staff to Mayor of Colombo Kishan Karunaratne on why the drive was initiated, he informed us that they received a directive from the Government to start a mobile vaccination programme. “All the vaccinations we get come from the central Government so the CMC also has to follow the guidelines. We, at the CMC, have our own medical infrastructure like ambulances, doctors and nurses, so we are able to carry out this programme successfully while adhering to the vaccination health regulations.”
Karunaratne added that the Sri Lanka Army will be conducting the drive throughout the whole of the Western Province, while the CMC will focus on Colombo 1-15.
He also commented that as resources are limited and this is targeted solely towards those who are otherwise unable to get the vaccination, people should think twice before requesting it unnecessarily.
Setting an example for other districts in the city “about 85% of the citizens over 60 in Colombo are vaccinated, at least with the first dose,” Karunaratne stated, adding that the city is almost entirely covered. Because of the vaccinations being done early in the city, he commented that we are seeing the fruits of that when taking into consideration the fact that Colombo has fewer deaths than in the other districts. “Of course, a death is a death, and a loss of life, but Colombo being a highly congested populus, has managed to reduce the death toll, so it is safe to say that the vaccination is working,” he concluded.