Govt. appeals to people not to fall prey to any false propaganda against vaccination drive

Take the vaccine without fail

By Ifham Nizam

 All Lankans, over the age of 30, would be vaccinated against Covid-19 by September 15, Head of the Presidential Task Force for National Deployment and Vaccination Plan, Lalith Weeratunga said on Thursday.

Weeratunga said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was very keen on tackling virus hotspots and the intelligence services were rendering yeoman service.

 President Rajapaksa had urged all Sri Lankans not to be deceived by false propaganda against the vaccination drive and to get the COVID-19 vaccine without fail and, thereby, assist the government in overcoming the socio-economic challenges posed by the pandemic, Weeratunga said.

Fielding questions after opening the President’s Media Centre in Colombo, Weeratunga said that they would have those between 18 and 30 years vaccinated next.

 The veteran civil servant said the government was confident of achieving the vaccination target by the end of December with the help of the WHO. The government had spent between USD 60 and 65 million on Covid-19 vaccines.  

 Weeratunga also stressed that there was no decision to purchase the Sinovac vaccine.

 He said more than 8.2 million Sri Lankans had so far received at least one vaccine dose. More than 1.8 million people had received both shots.

President’s Director General (MEDIA) Sudewa Hettiarachcchi and President’s Media Spokesman, Kingsly Rathnayake said by July 28, some 84% of the people over the age of 30 years in the Colombo District had received the first dose. In the Gampaha District, more than 93% had received the first dose. In the Kalutara District the percentage exceeded 85%. 

More than 99% of the people over the age of 30 years in the Matale District have received their first dose.

 At present, a mobile vaccination service for those who are unable to leave their homes was already in operation on the instructions of the President Rajapaksa.

 Weeratunga also said the government aimed to vaccinate 11.5 million people over the age of 30 by August 31, 2021 and another four million would be vaccinated thereafter. 

Plans were also underway to inoculate all Sri Lankans between the ages of 12 and 30 next.

At the current rate of inoculation some 15 million people in Sri Lanka would be vaccinated by December 31, 2021, he added.