The private sector has offered to raise US$ 50 million in order to support the Government’s efforts to acquire the COVID-19 vaccination for Sri Lanka.
According to the Daily FT, the pledge of nearly Rs. 10 billion was made recently, while a committee of business leaders have been appointed to spearhead the initiative.
Several companies from the apparel, exports, manufacturing, services and IT sectors are to be encouraged to contribute to the fund.
Last week, the Government took further measures to secure the COVID-19 vaccines via the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVAX facility.
The first stock of vaccination will be administered on 20% of the population, with priority being given to healthcare workers.
However, the Government has not yet made any commitment to secure currently used vaccinations across the globe, such as by Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and China’s Sinopharm.
According to the WHO, there are currently over 50 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in trials. (NewsWire)