State Minister Herath aims to vaccinate all garment workers in Kegalle District

Plantations State Minister Kanaka Herath said yesterday that a programme was underway to vaccinate all employees in the apparel industry in the Kegalle district.

Herath said that more than 9,000 garment employees in the Kegalle district had already been given the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccines so far and others would be inoculated soon.

“Steps will be taken to administer the second dose in a timely manner with the intervention of government officials, the security forces and the political authorities in the district.”

“This vaccination mechanism, which ensures equal opportunity to all is a joint effort of state servants, security forces personnel and political authority” he added.

Out of 50,000 doses allocated for the Kegalle District, about 30,000 had been given to those over 60 of age. Other doses have been given to field officers, members of the security forces, pregnant women, journalists and people in Grama Niladari Divisions identified as high-risk areas.

The State Minister also said that a High Dependency Unit (HDU) consisting of 150 HDU beds would established at the Kegalle District General Hospital for treating Covid-19 patients not only from the district but also from other areas. He said the government would not pend any money on this UDU, which will also have an oxygen unit.