• A sizable proportion of fully vaccinated people are also succumbing to COVID-19 

By Ajith Siriwardana

Administration of the Pfizer vaccine to healthy 20-30 year-olds, who can effectively mount an adequate immune response with the Sinopharm vaccine, was irrational and unscientific, the Association of Medical Specialists said.  

The AMS said in a statement that administration of Covid vaccines should be done with the advice of a competent body of experts, such as the ACCD of the Ministry of Health.

“Deviation from the advice of the ACCD has already cost many lives by offering Covid vaccines to 30 to 60 age groups before completing the vaccination of the above 60-year age group. We hope that, even at this late stage, decisions will be taken in a more rational manner based on scientific evidence,” the AMS said.

They said the priority of the immunisation programme should be to save lives and reduce hospitalisation of Covid patients.

“For this purpose, we need to initially immunise the vulnerable; i.e. those over 60 years and those with comorbidities. Though recommended, this policy was not implemented initially, resulting in the high death rate seen today. In addition, a sizable proportion of fully vaccinated people are also succumbing to COVID-19, or filling much-needed hospital beds and ICUs,” the statement added.

They also said it was very important that the immunisation has to be done in a scientific manner and that the rational policy would be to immunise the unvaccinated vulnerable as a priority, and then to consider a booster dose to the fully vaccinated group who are at risk of severe disease.