• 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca urgently sought
• SPC holds talks with Johnson & Johnson

By Easwaran Rutnam

Sri Lanka has made a request to the US for Covid vaccines which the US had announced will be made available to other countries.

In an email sent out to the Sri Lankan community in the US, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US, Ravinatha Aryasinha said that Sri Lanka’s need for vaccines has been brought to the attention of the US Government.
“Following an announcement made on April 26, 2021 that the US Government planned to make available 60 Million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to countries in need, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena through the US Ambassador in Colombo Alaina B. Teplitz, and the through the relevant officials in the State Department and the National Security Council, have brought Sri Lanka’s needs in this regard to the attention of the US Government,” Aryasinha said in the email.

He said it has been emphasised that 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca, in particular, is urgently needed to be given to those who had their first shot almost two months ago.

“While a decision in this regard is awaited, the Embassy has been advised by the concerned authorities that the release of AstraZeneca vaccines by the US will have to be preceded by authorisation for its use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” the Ambassador said.