News
Who withheld crucial letter from Sinopharm for approval of vaccine?
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd, the maker of Sinopharm vaccine responded to questions posed by the Expert Committee appointed, on March 17, to make recommendations for importing the Covid-19 vaccine to Sri Lanka, by April, but the Committee had been presented with requested answers only on 06 May, a day before the WHO approved the use of the vaccine, Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) President Dr. Lakkumar Fernando said yesterday.
Dr. Fernando is a member of the Expert Committee.
“There are many allegations that we delayed approving Sinopharm. This is false. We indeed approved vaccines, which had not been hitherto approved by the WHO, to be used in Sri Lanka. Even the Covishield vaccine had not been approved by the WHO when we gave the nod. The same is true of Sputnik-V,” he said.
Dr. Fernando said that on 17 March they had handed the NMRA a set of questions to be sent to the makers of Sinopharm. On 19 March, there had been an NMRA board meeting on the vaccine. Dr. Fernando was a board member of the NMRA at that point.
“Four of us objected because the expert committee had not approved the vaccine. The board has 13 members. That means there were nine others apart from us. Six of them had been recently appointed by the government and the others were officials. They could have taken a vote and approved Sinopharm. Instead, they appointed another committee to look into Sinopharm. So, from 19 March to 06 May the initial expert committee had been sidelined with regards to Sinopharm.”
Dr. Fernando said that on 06 May afternoon they had been given a document containing answers sent by the makers of Sinopharm. The WHO was to approve Sinopharm a few hours later.
“We approved Sinopharm within 24 hours. However, when we later looked at the document sent by makers of Sinopharm, we saw that they had responded by April. So, why was this letter withheld from us for weeks, even a month? How can they accuse us of delaying the approval of Sinopharm?”
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
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