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Covid-19 vaccination: Gearing for next phase   --

06 Feb 2021

  [caption id="attachment_118299" align="alignright" width="468"] Sri Lanka’s frontline workers receiving the first dose of the vaccine[/caption] Sri Lanka recently embarked on an islandwide vaccination drive against Covid-19, which is to prove critical in controlling the spread of the pandemic. While the first round of vaccines have already been distributed across the country to more than 100,000 frontline workers, including health officials and members of the armed forces, the Government is now making preparations for the next phase.  The country first received a donation of 500,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield on 28 January from India as a part of their “Vaccine Maitri” initiative, based on the “neighbourhood first” policy. The vaccine was soon distributed to around 2,000-2,500 health workers from seven hospitals in the Colombo district by 29 January.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning on an earlier occasion, a member of the Academy of Health Professionals Sri Lanka Ravi Kumudesh stated that the vaccine had a success rate of 65% and was to be given in two doses, with an interval between 4-12 weeks. Therefore, the initial phase of the vaccine drive planned to vaccinate a group of 250,000 persons including health workers engaged in Covid-19 control activities, tri-forces personnel, police officers, and citizens older than 60 years, as they have been identified as priority groups that are facing higher risk.  Senior Consultant Physician at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama became the first healthcare official to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the country, and did so to ease any doubts the public had about the vaccine. Following this, a senior nurse at the hospital became the second health official to receive the vaccine. Moreover, this vaccine has also received the approval of Sri Lanka’s National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).  Since its distribution, the vaccine has garnered high demand from frontline workers and non-healthcare workers partaking in Covid-19 prevention measures, according to Ministry of Health Epidemiology Unit Consultant Epidemiologist Dr. Deepa Gamage.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, she stated that the Ministry is currently facing difficulties in catering to the high demand among health workers as to who are to be vaccinated against the virus.  Dr. Gamage explained that the increased demand for the vaccine being expressed by these health workers who work in institutes, which include universities as well as frontline workers, is due to the vaccine being administered to more than 95,000 frontline workers, thereby confirming its quality, safety, and efficacy.  This initial phase of vaccinations concluded as of last week.    [caption id="attachment_118298" align="alignright" width="476"] The delivery of the first batch of the Covid-19 vaccine[/caption] The next phase    The State Minister of Primary Health Services, Pandemics, and Covid Prevention Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle told The Sunday Morning of plans to bring down more of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from India either towards the end of February or early March. She explained that this next phase of the vaccine will be given to those of the general public over 60 years, and all identified patients below 60 years, as well as those deemed important to the economy.   “We will be bringing down more of Oxford-AstraZeneca in the coming few weeks, so it will be here either by the end of February or beginning of March. And we have seen that the virus is most prevalent in those between the age group of 30 to 60. Therefore, we will focus on vaccinating those over the age of 60, and Covid patients who are below 60.” Dr. Fernandopulle stated that the first consignment of vaccines were intended for all health workers and tri-forces personnel engaged in Covid-19 control activities, adding that the second consignment will strictly be for those over 60 years and Covid patients. Earlier reports indicated that the first batch of vaccines was also given to several police personnel and citizens older than 60 years. The Chief Advisor to the President and Head of the newly-appointed Presidential Task Force for Sri Lanka’s Covid-19 Vaccination Drive Lalith Weeratunga stated that this second batch of imported vaccines will be around three million doses from the Serum Institute of India.   Furthermore, the reservation of two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, currently the leading vaccine with a success rate of 95%, by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC), was revealed to us on 28 January by the Secretary to the State Ministry of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Amal Harsha De Silva.  However, State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana said last week that the SPC has sent the purchase order for 18 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine.  Meanwhile, State Minister Fernandopulle revealed that a sum of Rs. 10 billion was identified for the purchase of the doses necessary to vaccinate the rest of the population.  Sri Lanka is also expecting a further donation of 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China based on a request made by the Sri Lankan Government. This batch of vaccines is expected to arrive in the country in mid-February. However, approval for emergency use is still pending from the NMRA.     'No major side effects'    Speaking to The Sunday Morning, State Minister of Primary Health Services, Pandemics, and Covid Prevention Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle reassured us that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed no major side effects after witnessing its effects during the initial vaccination drive.   “As with most vaccinations, there will be fevers and body aches, which is to be expected since this is a foreign body entering our immune system. However, we have not seen any major side effects, and we expect everyone to have similar symptoms to this,” said Dr. Fernandopulle.  Despite this, a member of the Academy of Health Professionals Sri Lanka Ravi Kumudesh labelled the above symptoms as a complication of the Covishield vaccine. He stated that 80% of healthcare workers administered with the vaccine exhibited symptoms such as fever, headaches, and vomiting.   “Covid-19 vaccines help our bodies to develop immunity to the virus that causes Covid-19 without us having to get the illness. We need to be conscious about these alien vaccines developed in less than a year. Vaccines are generally said to take seven to 10 years to be developed.”    Approval only for one vaccine so far: NMRA     National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) CEO Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe stated that as of 3 February, only the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been given approval by the NMRA for emergency use.   Speaking to The Sunday Morning, he explained that once the proper documents for the Indian vaccine were submitted to the NMRA, they had gone through it and approved it accordingly.  However, speaking to us earlier, Dr. Jayasinghe stated that NMRA had also received a completed application for the import of the Sputnik V vaccine from Russia by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC). Despite this, the Russian vaccine has still not received the approval from the organisation for emergency use.   “We received all the proper documents for the Russian vaccine and we have since sent all that information to be reviewed by an expert committee. Until they have finished their evaluations, we have no thoughts on the vaccine.”  Alongside the Sputnik V vaccine, Dr. Jayasinghe also stated that the NMRA is evaluating Covaxin, developed by India’s Bharat Biotech, after the approval was submitted for review a couple of weeks ago.   “We received the Sputnik V for review on 25 January and the Covaxin vaccine on 27 January, and they are currently being evaluated by the same expert committee. They will give an interim report and request to resubmit documents or provide additional documentation if there is a need for more data.”  The applications for the Sinopharm vaccine from China, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, have not been submitted to the NMRA.  

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