Sri Lanka to purchase ten million Covishield doses from India
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Sri Lanka will purchase ten million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine from India, officials have said. In January, under India's neighborhood-first policy, Sri Lanka received 500,000 doses of free vaccines. They were administered as a priority to frontline health workers and members of the armed forces. The State Pharmaceutical Corporation has signed the order with Serum Institute of India (SII) for ten million doses.
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About 250,000 vaccine doses have been administered: Army Chief
The agreement between SII and State Pharmaceutical Corporation has been approved by the Attorney General on Monday. Earlier this week, the vaccination was extended to the general public and MPs. "About 250,000 out of 500,000 Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine doses have been administered so far," General Shavendra Silva, the Army Chief of Sri Lanka who heads the COVID-19 prevention operations said on Friday.
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Sri Lanka has recorded 78,420 COVID-19 cases, 430 deaths
Sri Lanka had recorded 78,420 cases by last night, while 71,000 of them have recovered. At least 430 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak in mid-March last year.
COVID-19 Vaccines
China, Russia, Indian Army to donate vaccines to Sri Lanka
Silva said that the WHO has assured Sri Lanka that it would provide vaccines for 20 percent of the local population free of charge. Silva added that China and Russia had also agreed to donate vaccines to the local population. The Indian Army and the Russian Military have also agreed to provide vaccines to the Sri Lankan Military.
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Other countries where India has sent COVID-19 vaccine consignments
India, one of the world's biggest drug-makers, has sent domestically produced coronavirus vaccine consignments under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. It is also undertaking commercial supplies of doses to several countries, including Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, and Morocco.