Serum Institute will not delay COVISHIELD vaccine to Sri Lanka

Colombo (News 1st); The Serum Institute of India says the 01 million doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine ordered by Sri Lanka will be delivered to the island nation, without any delay.

State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka confirmed this to News 1st on Monday (08). The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being manufactured locally in India by the Serum Institute of India, and in February Sri Lanka imported 500,000 doses of the vaccine. Sri Lanka made a payment for 1.5 million doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine at $ 5.25 per dose and the remaining 01 million doses is expected to reach Sri Lanka in March or April. Starting in January with frontline health workers, Sri Lanka has given the vaccine to more than 550,000 people. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka added 07 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine will also be imported to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's drug regulatory body approved the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use. Sputnik V is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. One dose of the Sputnik V vaccine is priced at $ 10.