Sri Lanka to obtain COVID-19 vaccine after successful trial

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka will obtain a COVID-19 vaccine only if it proves to be successful after trials, a medical expert said Friday. "We will remain on the waiting list," Dr Anuruddha Padeniya, a member of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines told reporters. He pointed out that the efficiency of the vaccines that are being used overseas is yet to be determined. Dr Hemantha Herath, the acting deputy chief of health services pointed out there is room for failure in all vaccines being tested currently. These remarks came as the World Health Organization approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine citing that it had "met the must-have criteria for safety". "It would be very easy to restore normalcy if there is a vaccine," Neelika Malavige, a professor at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura insisted. She pointed out that vaccines such as Moderna and AstraZeneca are also being used by foreign nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Sri Lanka is among the 190 countries that have registered with its COVAX facility to obtain the vaccine. "Countries will progressively receive doses until all countries reach 20 percent of their population," the WHO's Country Office in Sri Lanka told News1st. It added that doses are expected to begin arriving in countries in the middle of 2021.