State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals, Prof. Channa Jayasumana said over 11.76 million people had been vaccinated up to yesterday morning (August 14). Of them, 4.3 million people had received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
As a percentage, the Government’s vaccination drive has covered 99 percent of the people above 30 years of age. Of them, 37 percent have received both doses of the vaccine, the State Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday. Prof. Jayasumana said according to the figures available, the total number of vaccines that had arrived in Sri Lanka up to yesterday morning (August 14) was 19.65 million.
He said up to August 14 morning, we have received 14.7 million doses of Sinopharm, 195,000 doses of Sputnik, 2.86 million doses of AstraZeneca, 389,000 doses of Pfizer and 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccines.
The State Minister said the Presidential Task Force on the Prevention of Covid-19 which met on Friday (August 13) decided to strictly enforce inter-provincial travel restrictions. Nobody will be permitted to cross the provinces except those engaged in essential services. However, the Government will not place the country under a complete lockdown.
“We need to give both doses of the vaccine to the people who are above 30. After September 15, the vaccination card will be necessary to enter public places. At the same time, the PCR and other tests will be more focused on people above 60 and the people who have comorbidities, he said.
Commenting on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s criticism levelled against the Covid-19 Task Force and the involvement of the Tri Forces in the vaccination drive, State Minister Jayasumana said it is a well-known fact that Wickremesinghe harbours a hatred of the Tri-Forces.
He betrayed the Security Forces during his reign from 2001 to 2004. He also signed an agreement with terrorist leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran betraying our Tri Forces to the LTTE.
“We still remember how he betrayed our intelligence officers at the Athurugiriya safehouse. He is responsible for the loss of lives of hundreds of Tri Forces personnel. If we did not defeat him at the 2004 election, there would have been a separate state in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by now. As he couldn’t achieve his targets due to the commitment of the Tri Forces, he now attempts to take revenge against them,” he said.
Prof. Jayasumana said the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 is headed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The Task Force is represented by Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers help to control the pandemic.
Medical experts, high officials of the Ministry of Health and Tri Forces Commanders, a representative from the Sri Lanka Police and other stakeholders are members of the Presidential Task Force. “We discuss and debate at meetings as to what would be the best solution at present. Therefore, this is the ideal place to discuss and make decisions,” the State Minister said.