Sri Lanka to receive 4.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine - health minister

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka will receive 4.2 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine under the World Health Organization's COVAX programme, health minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has said. Responding to queries by the opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the health ministry declared that the country has 34 PCR test machines, 1020 ventilators and 704 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds. She pointed out that 14 PCR machines were donated by local and foreign donors while 11 had been purchased using funds of the Asian Development Bank. "200 ventilators and 20 ICU beds were received as donations," the health minister declared. On the same lines, she said that 16 automatic extraction machines with robotic arms had been purchased to expedite the process of PCR tests that usually takes six hours. "We are carrying out 11,000 tests daily," she said. The health minister noted that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has completed a preliminary probe on the origin of the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country. "The CID has handed over a report on the preliminary investigations to the Attorney General," she said. The health minister noted that further investigations are underway into the new wave that emerged at a garment factory in Minuwangoda in early October. "Once a complete report is received we willtable it in Parliament," Wanniarachchi informed the House during a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.