• Health Ministry says bulk for Mannar District fishermen 

BY Buddhika Samaraweera 

Clarifying an earlier announcement that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines available in Sri Lanka will be administered to the fishermen in the Mannar District as well as those who go abroad for educational and professional purposes, the Ministry of Health said that only a small portion of these Pfizer doses would be given to the latter group. 

Speaking to The Morning, the Health Ministry’s Communications Director, Public Health Services Deputy Director General and Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath said that a bulk of the doses would be allocated to fishermen in Mannar, as they are thought to interact with Indian fishermen, and are thus more vulnerable. 

The Delta variant of Covid-19 originated in India and the variant is particularly prevalent in that country. Studies have found the Pfizer vaccine to be effective against the Delta Variant. 

Dr. Hemantha Herath added that those who go abroad have been included in the list of Pfizer recipients, as it has been made compulsory for those who enter certain countries to have obtained that particular vaccine. 

“Those who go abroad and need the Pfizer vaccine have to submit the required documents. The vaccine will only be given if they submit the relevant documents and other proof in a way that we are satisfied with. Among them may be those who are going to study abroad and those who are going to work,” he said. 

Meanwhile, when asked if there is a plan to administer a Covid-19 vaccine to students studying in local universities, Dr. Herath said that it has not been planned yet. Prior to that, he said, the Health Ministry hopes to vaccinate people over the age of 30 years, those in employment, and all other vulnerable groups. 

However, the Health Ministry hopes that, given the number of Covid-19 vaccines currently received by the country, it will be possible to deliver the vaccines to all over the age of 18 in the near future. 

“Currently, according to the number of Covid-19 vaccines being brought into our country, it is planned to vaccinate almost everyone over the age of 18 years,” Dr. Herath explained. 

He added that the Covid-19 vaccine is already being given to those over the age of 18 who belong to special groups such as teachers and factory workers. 

Recently, National Operation Centre for the Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head, Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva said that it had been planned to give the Pfizer vaccine to students going abroad and to a group of fishermen in the Mannar District who may interact with colleagues in India. 

The first consignment of 26,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine purchased by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) arrived in Sri Lanka on 5 July, while another consignment of 26,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in the country on 12 July. The SPC has ordered a total of 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, while another 60,000 doses are expected to arrive this week and 90,000 more next week. 

 

The Pfizer–BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is an mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine jointly developed by an American pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, and a German biotechnology company, BioNTech. It is authorised for use in people aged 12 years and older in some jurisdictions and for people 16 years and older in other jurisdictions, to provide protection against infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19.