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No country has barred entry due to vaccine type: Hemantha Herath

20 Sep 2021

  • Health Ministry urges youth to take any available vaccine
By Buddhika Samaraweera The Health Ministry has stated that, according to the information received by them, no country has barred travellers from entering based on the fact that they had not obtained a specific type or brand of Covid-19 vaccine, as all countries are bound by international health regulations. “There may be some differences in the quarantine regulations that must be followed when entering certain countries, but it is not possible to ban someone from entering a country due to not obtaining a specific vaccine, as all the countries are bound by the international health regulations. Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved all Covid-19 vaccines that are currently being administered. Therefore, no one should have a fear of obtaining them,” Health Ministry Communications Director, Public Health Services Deputy Director General (DDG), and the Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath told The Morning yesterday (20). He was responding to recent reports that certain individuals, particularly those between the ages of 20 and 30 years, have been reluctant to obtain the Chinese-made Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine due to a belief that Western countries would not permit them entry unless they obtain a US-made vaccine such as the German-US Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Dr. Herath said that there is no reason not to obtain Covid-19 vaccines unless someone is having serious health concerns and requested all eligible groups to receive the Covid-19 vaccines considering the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation. Earlier, the Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana claimed that youth in certain areas are reluctant to obtain the Covid-19 vaccines due to a rumour spreading on social media that it would result in impotence and sub-fertility, and said that there was no truth in such claims. He added that this misconception had led to a decrease in the number of young people receiving Covid-19 vaccines in some areas. “We looked into this, and no such thing has been reported in the world so far. There is no truth in such claims,” he added. Accordingly, when contacted by The Morning to inquire about the matter, at the Royal Free Hospital, London, UK, Consultant in Clinical Immunology and Allergy Prof. Suranjith L. Seneviratne said that there is no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine could cause impotence. However, he added that if a person develops “Long Covid-19 (signs and symptoms that last for longer than four weeks after getting Covid-19)” after contracting Covid-19, they could be more likely to have impotence. He also added that there is no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccines have any adverse effect on fertility. “A person does not need to avoid getting pregnant after being vaccinated against Covid-19,” he added. Meanwhile, Prof. Jayasumana, on an earlier occasion, said that the type of Covid-19 vaccine given to young people should not be made an issue. “There is no problem with the type of the Covid-19 vaccine given to young people. Especially through international studies, it is shown that young people get better immunity through whatever type of vaccine that is given against Covid-19. Be it Sinopharm or Pfizer vaccine, most probably there is no considerable difference in the immunity achieved when it comes to youth,” he said.  


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