Vulnerable groups to receive COVISHIELD starting today (15): Army Commander

COLOMBO (News 1st): The COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to vulnerable groups of the country's population including the workforce that engages with the people starting today (Feb. 15), Army Commander General Shavendra Silva confirmed to News 1st. According to the Army Commander, the vaccination drive will commence from the Western province. Further elaborating on the vaccination drive, the Army Commander noted the President had instructed to administer the remaining 250,000 doses of India's AstraZeneca COVISHIELD jab on the people, following the inoculation of the 1st dose of the vaccine among those in the frontline of combatting the pandemic. Sri Lanka received a consignment of 500,000 doses of COVISHIELD vaccines from India on January 28th 2021, as a donation. Thereby, the COVID-19 inoculation of frontline healthcare workers, tri-forces and police in Sri Lanka began on January 29th 2021, and the vaccination of the 1st doses has since concluded. According to the Army Commander, the government has ordered 18 million AztraZeneca COVISHIELD vaccines from India, that could be administered to 9 million people; the 1st consignment of the vaccines is set to arrive in the country in the next seven days.