• GMOA continually requested people to get their fourth dose of the COVID vaccine as soon as possible before the stock expires

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama  

The three-month extension of the expiry date of the Pfizer BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines will be due on October 31, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said.  According to the Health Ministry sources, they currently possess an excess of six million doses of Pfizer vaccines in stock.  

GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe told the Daily Mirror that on July 31 this year, Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry extended the expiry date of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines on the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO).  

“The technical decision for the three-month extension of the expiry date of the vaccines had been taken as per the recommendation of the vaccine manufacturers, the WHO and the Health Ministry of Sri Lanka,” Dr. Wijesinghe said.  Therefore, the GMOA continually requested people to get their fourth dose of the COVID vaccine as soon as possible before the stock expires, he said.  

The fourth dose is still being administered in all national hospitals and Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices across the country.  

Meanwhile, Dr. Wijesinghe said that the existing stock of the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits is also set to expire soon.  

There has been a spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths again in the country after the relaxation of health restrictions.   

The GMOA again requests the public to wear masks again at indoor events and when using public transport.