Lankan cabinet approves purchase of 10 million COVID-19 vaccines from India

Sri Lankan cabinet has approved the purchase of 10 million doses of 'Made in India' AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), local media reported.

The Sri Lankan cabinet of ministers has approved the cabinet paper submitted by the Acting Minister of Health Channa Jayasumana for the State Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sri Lanka to purchase 10 million doses for USD 52.5 million from SII, Colombo Page reported.

Accordingly, the proposals submitted by the Acting Minister of Health were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting yesterday.

The Ministry of Health plans to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to 14 million people in the country to protect them against the coronavirus.

Earlier, it was reported that Sri Lankan authorities will begin inoculating the general public against the COVID-19 from next month. Sri Lanka has recorded over 80,500 coronavirus cases so far with 450 deaths.

In addition, the State Pharmaceutical Corporation of Sri Lanka has been given Cabinet approval to enter into an agreement with the British AstraZeneca Corporation to purchase 3.5 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The Cabinet also approved the signing of a Standardised Indemnification Agreement submitted by the COVAX mechsm to expedite the acquisition of the COVID-19 vaccine under the COVAX facility.

Last month, India had gifted Sri Lanka 5,00,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine.

On January 22, Sri Lanka had approved emergency use of Oxford AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine being manufactured by the SII.

( With inputs from ANI )