The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), with the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), the Telecom Regulatory Commission (TRC), announced an online and SMS-based appointment system for the second dose of Sinopharm vaccine administration in the Western Province. This service will be made available from 12th July 2021 June onwards. The vaccination drive targets those eligible to obtain the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine in Colombo, Gampaha, and Kaluthara Districts. "ICTA developed the platform in close collaboration with The National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), the Telecom Regulatory Commission (TRC), and mobile operators; Dialog Axiata PLC, Mobitel Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka, and Airtel Lanka (Pvt) Ltd were key to support this initiative," ICTA said in a statement. The vaccination drive was initiated to ensure streamlined delivery of the first and second dose of the sputnik and Sinopharm vaccine and targets those above 30 years residing in the Colombo, Gampaha, and Kaluthara Districts. The program was initiated to ensure streamlined delivery of the second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine and targets those who have obtained the 1st dose of the Sinopharm vaccine in the month of May in Colombo, Gampaha and Kaluthara districts. "Eligible citizens can schedule an online appointment at https://vaccine.covid19.gov.lk or via SMS. avail of the facility by sending an SMS message to 1906 5o register via SMS, the following commands can be typed (without quotes) and send to 1906," they said. Commenting on this initiative, Jayantha de Silva, Chief Technology Officer Information and communications Agency of Sri Lanka, Secretary to the Ministry of Information Technology, stated, “we have worked closely with the NOCPCO, Telecom Regulatory commissionCommission, and mobile operators to offer this timely initiative. We want to thank these institutions for coming on board to support this timely initiative and we are hopeful the eligible public will make use of this hassle free service.” In addition, the system also facilitates the acquisition of an internationally recognised certificate for those who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Elaborating on this, Hiranya Samarasekara said, “Information obtained from the public at the Covid-19 vaccination centers are referred to an information system maintained by the Ministry of Health. After that, those who have received both doses of the vaccine can download a certificate through this system." “This will make it easier to find the person’s name, age, National Identity Card (NIC) number, date of Vaccination, type of vaccine, and batch number. The uniqueness of this is that the relevant accuracy can be verified from anywhere in the world through the QR Code," they said.