No severe allergic reactions to COVISHIELD so far: State Ministry

COLOMBO (News 1st): No cases of severe allergic reactions were reported among those who have received India's AstraZeneca COVISHIELD Vaccine so far, the State Ministry of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control said on Tuesday (Feb. 02). A total of 36,396 people were administered the COVISHIELD Vaccine on Monday (02). "A 65 percent of the country's population will be vaccinated under the COVID-19 vaccination drive, while the remaining 35 percent including expectant mothers and children aged below 18 are not eligible to receive the vaccine," Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, the State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control told News 1st on Tuesday (02). State Minister Dr. Fernandopulle was hopeful the vaccine could be provided to the rest of the population by the end of February or beginning of March. So far 95,550 people have received the vaccine since it was rolled out for frontline healthcare workers last Friday (Jan. 29), according to data released by the Epidemiology Unit at the Ministry of Health.