It is not possible to get vaccinated at random by private companies, as only the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation has the ability to obtain vaccines in Sri Lanka, State Minister of Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Dr. Channa Jayasumana said. He was speaking at a special media briefing held at the Government Information Department today (02) to raise awareness on 'Today and Tomorrow of Vaccination' . According to the Mid-Year Population Forecast for 2020, the total population is 21 million, of which 14.5 million are over 20 years of age. Explaining the outline of the vaccination plan, the State Minister further said that since the vaccine is now recommended for pregnant mothers, there are nearly 300,000 pregnant mothers in the country and the total number of vaccines to be administered stands at 14.5 million. "This vaccination program was first and foremost discussed with the World Health Organization, at the Cabinet level and at the Presidential Task Force level. All the necessary arrangements had been made for the commencement of the vaccination drive in August to September last year," he said. The Minister recalled that the first Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine was delivered to Sri Lanka on the 28th of January and that due to good preparations, vaccination could begin in the country from the following day, the 29th of January. The Minister of State further recalled that Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Beijing, Palitha Kohona, had discussed the purchases on behalf of the country with great transparency and that the first purchase would be made on June 06. The manufacturer had said that the release could be done and that the country would receive 2 million Sinopharm doses within the next 10 days. Jayasumana also said that the country has entered into an agreement to obtain 14 million doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine. Additionally, the Pfizer company is to provide 5 million doses of their vaccine this year and the first batch of between 300,000 and 400,000 doses will be delivered to Sri Lanka in July, the Minister said. The Minister also said that discussions are underway to obtain the Sinovac vaccine, the other major vaccine manufactured in China, and that arrangements are being made for the initial steps to manufacture the vaccine in Sri Lanka. He said that the State Pharmaceutical Corporation has completed preliminary discussions to obtain the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is given in a single dose, and hoped that the vaccine would be available in a few weeks. He recalled that all these agreements were discussed in advance with the relevant agencies, with the approval of the Cabinet and a special committee appointed by the Cabinet to make recommendations on prices. Explaining the shortage of the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, the Minister said that according to the latest data provided by the World Health Organization, the gap between the two vaccines can be maintained for up to six months and that the second dose can be given within six months to achieve better immunity. " The government is responsible for ensuring that vaccines are manufactured by the parent company and that only those vaccines which are certified to be of the proper standard will be available and delivered to the public," he stressed.