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Lanka lucky to get substantial supplies of Sinopharm, but we are paying for following failed playbook of US, UK – Dr. Rannan-Eliya
Given that Sri Lanka has access to substantial supplies of Sinopharm vaccine, Sinovac is not a good choice any longer, since Sinopharm is much better in terms of immune protection, Executive Director of the Institute for Health Policy (IHP), Dr. Ravi Rannan-Eliya says.
Dr. Eliya said that if Sri Lanka had actually stuck to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official strategy of preventing and stopping outbreaks, then Sinovac might have had a role, since even a partially effective vaccine can help in reducing the cost of maintaining a COVID- free country. He added that “this essentially what China is doing right now”.
“China doesn’t need the best vaccines, just vaccines good enough to slow transmission enough to allow other control measures to beat the virus, without putting the whole country in lockdown. But we are not China. We have followed the failed playbook that the UK and the USA adopted. So we have widespread transmission in the community and literally thousands of deaths each month. So for us, buying and deploying Sinopharm, topped up with Moderna, Pfizer and Sputnik seems to be best strategy for now, with the exact mix depending on what is available quickly in quantity. Moreover, given that thousands are dying and will continue to die until the virus slows down by infecting enough people, speed and quantity are the biggest considerations, and no longer cost, since we have already made the decision to go for broke…and I mean that literally!,” he said.
Given below are excerpts of his statement: “I was asked the other day for my thoughts on the local approval and use of Sinovac, so just sharing my general take on this. Sinovac was given an emergency use license (EUL) by our NMRA on 16 July 2021, six weeks after WHO had given its EUL (1 Jun 2021). We have since not purchased it as far as I know and certainly not used it, so why?
“SHOULD SINOVAC BE APPROVED FOR EMERGENCY USE DURING THIS ONGOING COVID PANDEMIC?
“The answer to that is fairly simply – YES. This basically boils down to two considerations: (1) Does it work? (2) Is it safe enough for emergency use, given the limited evidence that any vaccine will have in an emergency scenario? This is the decision that WHO came to (and they are really slow when it comes to non-US/UK/EU vaccines), and the same decision that robust regulatory authorities in places like Hong Kong, Chile came to months before WHO. Given that and given the reality that we faced of tight global supplies of COVID vaccines, our local NMRA approval was in fact if anything rather slow. The second question is whether we should use or purchase it.
“SHOULD SINOVAC BE USED IN OUR SRI LANKAN COVID VACCINATION STRATEGY?
“The question of whether Sinovac should be used in our national COVID vaccination strategy is a completely separate one, and not one that NMRA should or could decide. This separate decision needs to be based on the overall public health strategy, plus COST and AVAILABILITY considerations. The bottom line here is that the answer depends on what our alternatives are, and how desperate we are to boost population immunity.
“There are three things to know about Sinovac. First, it is not as effective in stopping severe illness and also in stopping transmission as Sinopharm or Astra-Zeneca, and much less effective than the mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna. Second, it is much more available to developing countries than Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer and Moderna, because Sinovac is being produced in the billions of doses and most Western countries aren’t buying it. Third, although Sinopharm is a better vaccine, Sinovac was available in bulk outside China much earlier, because Sinovac, a commercial firm, was much faster in getting approvals than the more lethargic, state-run Sinopharm.
“So Sinovac has been put to use in many countries, including in Europe and also some OECD countries, such as Chile and Mexico. GAVI has also signed agreements to purchase Sinovac for global distribution through the COVAX programme. For practical reasons. Sinovac and also Sinopharm are the only vaccines that are available in sufficient bulk to allow COVAX to deliver on its commitments to developing countries, so COVAX desperately needs both Sinovac and Sinopharm. So there is a rational case for purchasing Sinovac in bulk in many countries, and even Western-dominated entities like GAVI have come to this conclusion.
“However, for us in Sri Lanka, where we appear to now have substantial supplies of mostly Sinopharm vaccines, Sinovac is not a good choice any longer, since Sinopharm is much better in terms of immune protection. This means that with continuing widespread transmission (since contrary to President’s Official COVID Strategy, our real strategy has been for months to live and die! with the virus), Sinovac will require boosters earlier, and it will thus end up being more costly.”
House Committee, BASL and TISL take common stand
The Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has found fault with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for what it calls the inordinate delay in appointing a new Auditor General. CoPF Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva, in a letter dated Dec. 22 addressed to President Dissanayake, has pointed out that the Office of the AG remains vacant.
The SJBer raised the serious issue with the President close on the heels of the interventions made by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).
Dr. de Silva has emphasised that the failure on the part of the President to fill the vacancy is a matter of serious concern. The Constitutional Council has repeatedly rejected the President’s nominee while questioning his suitability.
The following is the text of CoPF Chairman’s letter to the President: ” I wish to respectfully bring to your attention that the Office of the Auditor General has remained vacant since 7 December, following the conclusion of the tenure of the Acting Auditor General on 6 December. At present, there is neither a substantive nor an acting Auditor General in the country, and consequently, the Audit Service Commission remains without a chairman. Given the prevailing circumstances of the country, the continuous absence of this constitutionally mandated post is a matter of serious concern.
Under Article 148 of the Constitution, Parliament exercises full control over public finance. The effective exercise of this control is constitutionally dependent on the continuous functioning of an independent audit mechanism.
Article 154 of the Constitution establishes the office of the Auditor General and mandates the audit of all State institutions and the reporting of such audits to Parliament. The absence of an Auditor General disrupts this mandatory constitutional process. This mandate is further reinforced by Section 3 of tile National Audit Act, No. 19 of 2018.
Moreover, the oversight functions of the Committee on Public Accounts, and the Committee on Public Enterprises in terms of Standing Orders 119, and 120 are directly dependent on audit reports issued by the Auditor General. The continued vacancy therefore materially undermines parliamentary financial oversight.
As the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) is responsible for reviewing the budget and work programme of the National Audit Office, I consider it my duty, as the Chair of the CoPF, to urge the immediate appointment of the Auditor General.
Accordingly, I respectfully request that urgent action be taken to appoint a suitable, qualified and experienced individual as the Auditor General in accordance with Article 153(1) of the Constitutional, without further delay.”
As part of India’s continued assistance to Sri Lanka under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’, the Indian High Commission in Colombo, Assistant High Commission in Kandy and Consulate General of India in Jaffna conducted humanitarian assistance distribution drives for families affected by Cyclone Ditwah in different parts of the country, the Indian HC said.
The text of the HC statement: “On 18 December, High Commissioner of India Santosh Jha distributed relief kits among affected families in the Kolonnawa in coordination with All Ceylon Sufi Spiritual Association and among children of Bhaktivedanta Children’s Home ‘Gokulam’ at ISKCON Temple in Colombo. Earlier this month, the High Commissioner also distributed assistance among residents of Nayanalokagama, village specially designated for the visually impaired, and among affected families in Negombo in the Gampaha District.
Between 9 and 19 December, Assistant High Commission of India in Kandy distributed essential food items and supplies among hundreds of affected families in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla Districts.
Similarly, the Consulate General of India in Jaffna carried out several distribution drives for affected families in Mannar, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, as well as island territories of the Jaffna District.
This assistance is over and above several tonnes of food and relief material handed over by India to the Government of Sri Lanka under ‘Operation Sagar Bandhu’.”
The passing-out parade of the No. 11 Contingent of the Aviation Unit assigned to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) took place on 23 December 2025 at the SLAF Base Katunayake. The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, took the salute as the parade was led by Group Captain Asiri Pathirage, the Contingent Commander of the 11th contingent.
The heli-deployment, comprising 22 officers (including two female officers) and 88 airmen (including five airwomen), is scheduled to depart for the Central African Republic in the middle of January.
During the address to the parade, the Commander noted that the United Nations Headquarters has praised the Sri Lanka Air Force contingents stationed in the Central African Republic for their bravery, professionalism and dedication to duty. He emphasized that this accomplishment reflects the trust and confidence placed in the military forces of Sri Lanka by the international community, enhancing the nation’s standing on the global stage. This mission is also anticipated to bring significant economic benefits to the country.
The parade was attended by the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, members of the Air Force Board of Management, officers and airmen of SLAF Base Katunayake and most specifically, the beloved family members of the Aviation Contingent.
Showers may occur in Uva province and in Ampara, Batticaloa, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts
CoPF Chief steps up pressure on Prez to appoint AG
Indian HC and Consulates extend humanitarian assistance to families affected by Cyclone Ditwah
Sri Lanka prepares to deploy fresh military contingent under UN command
New measures to protect environmentally sensitive Sri Pada region
Chief selector’s remarks disappointing says Mickey Arthur
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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