Principal Advisor to the President and Chief of the Presidential Task Force on the Procurement of COVID Vaccine Lalith Weeratunga yesterday said vaccination was not mandatory.

He said that those who disliked it could refrain from taking the jab.

Weeratunga said so at a ceremony held at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to receive the first consignment of COVID-19 control vaccines donated by the Government of India.

The first consignment of vaccines was officially handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay.

It was donated to Sri Lanka following a request made by the President to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Developed by the Oxford University in the UK, the AstraZeneca COVISHELD vaccine was manufactured at Serum Institute in Mumbai.

Carrying 500,000 phials, Indian Airline Flight AI281 landed at BIA at 11.45 am yesterday.

The weight of the vaccines stored in the aircraft’s special cold storage was 1,323 kg. The stock of vaccines is planned to be stored in the cold storage of the airport premises and distributed in refrigerated vehicles covering 25 districts. Vaccines are stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius.

The vaccination will get underway at six main hospitals in the Western Province today (29). Around 150,000 health workers, 120,000 members of Tri-Forces and Police, who are in the frontline of COVID preventive operations will be given priority.

Responding to the request by the President, the government of China too would donate around 300,000 phials of the vaccine, Principal Advisor to the President Weeratunga said.

Marking yesterday’s donation of the vaccines, the Indian High Commissioner presented a memento to the President.

Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, State Ministers Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Channa Jayasumana, Principal Advisor to the President Weeratunga, Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Commander of Sri Lanka Army and Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, Deputy Indian High Commissioner Vinod Jacob, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority Major Gen. (retd.)G.A. Chandrasiri, Ministry Secretaries and heads of the health sector were also present on the occasion.