Citizens voiced their concern over the lack of a second dose of the AstraZenka vaccine, despite the vaccination of nearly a million people with the first dose, attributing this to the negligence of the government and its lack of financial stability to purchase the second dose of the vaccine from India. Specialists accused the government of failing to manage to give the first dose, which was given to a large number of residents of the capital, Colombo, and its suburbs without an adequate strategy at the expense of frontline workers. It is reported that the second dose of AstraZeneca was given only to a limited number of residents, whereas citizens are concerned about the effectiveness of alternative vaccines brought by the government from several countries. Meanwhile, hospitals and health centers in the capital, Colombo, continue to provide the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine to a significant number of citizens.
T.Z Saldinand mentioned that he and his son has not being administered the second dosage within the stipulated time since the first dosage. Its being over 12 weeks and we have not received a proper response for the inquiries we made from the health clinic officials and they want us to anticipate better.
Dr Ruvaiz Haniffa, the former president of Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) and lecturer at Colombo University stated that there seems to be a huge inadequacy in administrating the 1st dosage of AstraZeneca vaccine. He further stated that that “It was agreed upon by the Medical Professionals and Scientists that the dose should be administered to the foremost frontline workers. Later, notoriously, the government took steps to administer to the general public in Colombo and its suburbs without a proper strategy, and the importance of administering the second dose exactly after Twelve weeks of the first dosage is a must for its effectiveness. As medical professionals, we conveyed our disapproval. Due to the various issues present in the island, the vaccinations have been delayed.”
In an interview A24 had with Lahiru Galappatthi, civil rights activist mentioned that only 0.5% approximately 1 million out of the 22 million population has being vaccinated and according to available information the second dosage of AstraZeneca has been administered only for a few of the above 0.5%.The majority of the population is anticipating a positive response from the government in receiving the vaccines. In such a situation the government has failed to vaccinate at least 50% of the country’s population he further stated.
Source : A24