The aircraft carrying the first consignment of vaccines under the COVAX facility has arrived in the island at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake.

The stock of the vaccines was officially handed over to State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle.

Led by UNICEF, the procurement and delivery of this supply of the vaccines through the COVAX Facility underpins the National Deployment and Vaccination Plan of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and will provide critical vaccination support for 20% of the population. The first 264,000 doses from COVAX will be for the most vulnerable persons above 60 years of the age group in the most high-risk areas impacted by COVID-19.

Accordingly, the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine was brought to the country today (07)

The first batch was handed over to State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle by UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative Emma Bringham at the BIA.

State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle stated that the vaccine received through the COVAX facility is planned to be given to the most vulnerable persons above 60 years of age in high-risk areas.

As part of an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the COVAX facility, UNICEF will provide 1.44 million doses in stages until the end of May 2021, authorized by the World Health Organization's emergency use list according to the manufacturer's production capacity