Sri Lanka to start Sputnik V rollout on Thursday
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka will vaccinate those between the ages of 30 to 60 in Gothatuwa, Colombo with the Russia-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday (6), State Minister of Health Prof Channa Jayasumana said on Wednesday (5).
Fifteen thousand doses of the jab arrived in the island on Tuesday (4) for a trial rollout.
Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC), Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, has said Russian officials will supervise the initial rollout and inoculation process and subsequently release the rest of the consignment.
It is unclear how Gothatuwa was chosen as a starting point for the rollout.
However, of the 1914 new COVID-19 cases confirmed on during the 24-hour period ending 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 530 from the Colombo District, 85 from within the Colombo Municipality limits. The total also included 54 who had returned from abroad and are currently under quarantine.
In a related development parts of Piliyandala and Maharagama were on Wednesday added to the growing lists of areas placed under isolation, as the daily COVID-19 count continued to hover close to the 2000 mark. Another 1939 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday, 1,897 of them associated with the New Year cluster and 42 identified as arrivals from foreign countries.
The Department of Government Information announced that the Pamunuwa Grama Niladhari Division in the Maharagama Police area, the Honnanthara Grama Niladhari Division in the Piliyandala Police area and the Deltara Grama Niladhari Division in the Piliyandala Police area in the Colombo district had been designated as isolated areas effective Wednesday.
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