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If approved, Sinopharm only outside Colombo, Gampaha

23 Mar 2021

If the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) grants emergency use registration for the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine Sinopharm, it would be administered on locals from areas other than the Colombo and Gampaha Districts in the Western Province, The Morning learnt. Speaking to The Morning yesterday (22), State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said that this is because the Government plans to utilise this vaccine to prioritise areas that currently have no vaccination drive. “We have not prepared plans yet, but if NMRA approval is granted for emergency use, the Sinopharm vaccine would be administered in areas other than the Colombo and Gampaha Districts. However, the vaccine could be administered on Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka because China has issued approval for the vaccine to be administered,” said Dr. Fernandopulle. When inquired by The Morning, NMRA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe confirmed that the Chinese vaccine could be administered on Chinese nationals and that the NMRA results of the review of the vaccine for emergency use registration would be issued soon. “The relevant documents are currently being reviewed and the results would be issued soon.” Sri Lanka at present awaits a consignment of 600,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine that is to be donated by the Chinese Government. In addition to the initial offer of 300,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines, the Chinese Government has offered a donation of 300,000 additional doses. Meanwhile, despite reports of an alleged letter from the Serum Institute of India (SII) stating that it cannot guarantee the delivery of the one million Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield doses that have been ordered by Sri Lanka, The Morning learnt from State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) General Manager K.M.D.R. Dassanayake that SII has confirmed that a consignment of 500,000 doses of the vaccine would be delivered to Sri Lanka before the end of this month. Regarding the placing of an order for Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine which has been approved for emergency use by the NMRA, the SPC is presently awaiting the decision of the Cabinet-appointed pricing committee to discuss a possible delivery schedule for the said vaccine. So far, Sri Lanka has only received stocks of SII’s Covishield, as the country has received one million doses so far directly from India, of which the first 500,000 doses came as a donation, and 264,000 doses came under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) COVAX facility. A total of 829,220 individuals have received their first dose of the vaccine as of 20 March. Sri Lanka is planning to administer the second dose of the two-dose Covishield vaccine after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.


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