COVID-19 shots to all frontline workers, close contacts without discrimination: Govt

• Defends Govt. decision to vaccinate immediate family members of frontline healthcare workers

The Government yesterday assured that COVID-19 vaccines would be administered to all frontline workers and their immediate close contacts without any discrimination, insisting that the need to expedite the national vaccine program has been recognised as a priority.

“We value the service of all frontline workers, not only doctors, nurses, public health inspectors (PHIs), attendants, but divisional secretaries, Grama Niladaris, agriculture officers, Samurdhi and economic development officers, and armed forces and Police personnel. 

We will also vaccinate all close contacts of frontline workers as soon as we get the next consignment,” Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana told journalists at the weekly Cabinet media briefing.

He was responding to a question raised on the token strike launched by the PHIs yesterday claiming that the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) had allegedly given the remaining AstraZeneca vaccines to their kith and kin.

The Minister defended the decision to vaccinate immediate family members of health workers as they were at risk of contracting the virus through their close associates. 

Dr. Pathirana said Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi had identified the need to vaccinate immediate family of frontline health workers as a precautionary measure, with many already having been administered the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Sri Lanka initially received 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a donation from India and thereafter the Government purchased another 500,000 doses. The Government was in possession of around 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to use as the second dose, however, with the Serum Institute of India suspending the delivery of remaining vaccines, it led to a shortage of over 600,000 vaccines needed for the second jab.

Meanwhile, the Government yesterday received another 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine as a donation from the Chinese Government.