Health Ministry denies involvement in local vaccine sales

The Health Ministry yesterday rejected claims made online on vaccine sales carried out by Health Ministry officials and Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi’s associates, saying investigations have been launched into websites publishing such claims.

In a statement issued by the Ministry yesterday, the claims were described as baseless and an attempt at bringing disrepute to the vaccination program being carried out in the island.

“We hereby inform the public that there is no room for selling vaccines within a vaccination program that is being properly carried out, and if any parties are selling COVID-19 vaccines, they are fake vaccines and we request the public to refrain from purchasing them,” the statement read.

Stories claiming that Wanniarachchi’s spouse Kanchana Jayaratne had conducted illicit vaccine centres from 17 May-19 May at the Health Ministry’s Quality and Safety Secretariat located on the premises of the Castle Street Hospital for Women were circulated widely online.

Meanwhile, the Epidemiology Unit stated that 1,425,556 persons in the country have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines currently being administered in the island, and 316,134 persons have received both doses.

This includes the 8,738 persons who received the second dose of AstraZeneca on Thursday, bringing the total number of persons to receive the second dose of the vaccine to 313,699. The first dose has been administered to 925,242 persons.

The first dose of Sinopharm was administered to 15,988 persons on Thursday and 485,373 persons have received the first dose of the vaccine to date. The second dose has been administered to 2,435 persons.

Seven persons received the Sputnik V vaccine on Thursday and a total of 14,941 persons have received the first dose of the vaccine to date.