Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to receive a stock of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Government.
The first consignment of 26,000 doses of the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccines arrived in the country this morning.
Commenting on the vaccine, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he was proud of the work that is being done by the Government to ensure vaccines for all Sri Lankans.
Meanwhile, State Minister Channa Jayasumana said the doses were among a total of 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine ordered by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC).
He added that the vaccine doses have been stored at the specialized storage facility at the National Blood Transfusion Centre in Narahenpita.
The vaccines are expected to be used on pregnant women as the 2nd dose for those who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine as the first jab.
The use of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as the second jab for those vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine, has been approved by the Health Ministry’s Advisory Committee.
