brand logo

Pfizer booster vaccine: CMC to begin rollout next month

31 Oct 2021

  • Decline in Covid-19 deaths recorded in Colombo city
  • Delta Plus variant not detected in test samples so far
By Aazam Ameen The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is to commence administering Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster vaccines within the Colombo city in early November, The Sunday Morning learnt. However, Sri Lanka is on alert over the SARS-CoV-2 variant A.30, which was found to be heavily mutated and escaping vaccine-induced antibodies, according to State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana. Speaking at a press conference, Jayasumana urged the public to adhere to health guidelines properly to prevent the spread of the virus. Speaking on administering the booster doses, CMC Regional Epidemiologist Dr. Dinu Guruge told The Sunday Morning: “We have been asked to start the process in November, soon after we finish vaccinating children. As of now, the plan is to start with the 60 and above age group.” Meanwhile, the Covid-19-related death rate recorded from the Colombo city limits had seen a decline despite a slight uptick in the number of Covid-19-related deaths recorded in the country during the recent past. Dr. Guruge explained to The Sunday Morning that this had to do with the reduced number of Covid-19 infections. “We have not experienced an increase in deaths within the city of Colombo so far. In terms of the number of cases, only 1-2% are recorded from Colombo. The death rate is currently plateauing, which indicates that recorded deaths are much less than before,” she said. Dr. Guruge also detailed that no Delta Plus Covid-19 variant cases were detected in Colombo either. “From the samples of PCR tests the CMC has submitted for gene sequencing, the presence of the Delta Plus variant has not been detected so far,” the epidemiologist noted. Earlier last week, National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) Head and Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva stated that it was decided that the health, tri-forces, police personnel, and those engaged in the tourism sector, along with frontline workers, would be administered with the Pfizer vaccine as a booster dose. Data from the Presidential Secretariat’s Vaccine Dashboard detailed that as of 29 October, 15,376,578 persons received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while 13,356,566 persons were fully vaccinated. The majority of the vaccines administered in the country was of the Chinese-manufactured Sinopharm brand. Despite several attempts to reach Deputy Director General of Public Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath and University of Sri Jayewardenepura Allergy Immunology and Cell Biology Unit Director Dr. Chandima Jeewandara for their comments on the administration of booster doses and Covid-19 variants, respectively, our attempts proved to be futile.


More News..