ISHARA MUDUGAMUWA
SRI Lanka has administered a total number of 21,908,847 doof COVID vaccines by Monday Sept,6.
Accordingly, a total of 12,729,601 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 9,179,246 people have completed the full vaccination.
Addressing a media conference held yesterday at the Health Promotion Bureau, Deputy Director-General of Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath said that the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been given to 1,401,732 individuals and the second dose of the same vaccine has been given to 887,430 persons.
The first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine has been given to 10,021,318 people and the second dose has been administered to 7,352,699 individuals.
A total of 159,088 individuals have received the first dose of the Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine and the second dose has been administered to 41,749 persons. The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine has been given to 375,097 persons the second dose has been given to 191,758 individuals and 772,366 individuals have received the first dose of Moderna vaccine and the second dose has been given to a total of 705,610.
The total number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus reported in the country reached 462,767 by yesterday morning and around 386,509 of them, have fully recovered. Around 66,117 persons are under medical care.
Meanwhile, the Covid related deaths exceeded 10,000 mark on Sunday (5) and according to the Director-General of Health, the total number of COVID deaths has been increased to 10,140.
Responding to a question by a journalist, Dr Herath said that it is difficult to vaccinate the entire above 60 population due to various reasons and will take all possible efforts to vaccinate the majority.
He stressed the importance of strictly following the COVID preventive health practices by both vaccinated and non-vaccinated populations since the Delta variant can sometimes cause breakthrough infections in vaccinated persons, apart from non-vaccinated people.
Meanwhile, more than 60 per cent of the country’s above 60 population has been vaccinated against COVID, Home Affairs Ministry Secretary N.H.M. Chithrananda said.
There are 550,299 above 60 people living in Sri Lanka, only 200,000 are left to be vaccinated against COVID, he said. About 88 percent of over 60 people from Polonnaruwa, 80 percent from Kurunegala, 75 percent from Ampara, 88 percent from Puttalam, 85 percent from Matale and 80 percent from Colombo 80 percent have already been vaccinated.
He also said that the health and security forces go to the relevant places to obtain information on the elderly who are suffering from various ailments who are unable to visit the vaccination centers at the Grama Niladhari division level.
The Director of the National Secretariat for Elders K.G. Lanarolle said that about 8,000 out of 8,806 persons living in 349 elderly care homes have been fully vaccinated.
However, the Ministry of Health plans to complete the administration of at least a single dose to all adults across the country within the next week.(CDN)
