19 March 2021 09:18 am
China is awaiting clearance from Sri Lanka to gift 600,000 coronavirus vaccines, a diplomat said.
The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) is yet to approve the Chinese sinopharm vaccine.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador to China, Dr. Palitha Kohona told Daily Mirror that the Embassy has had talks with two major vaccine manufacturers in China.
“Both have been very receptive to our request to make the Chinese vaccines available to Sri Lanka,” Dr. Kohona said.
He said that, eventually the Chinese Government offered 300,000 vaccines as a gift to Sri Lanka.
Dr. Palitha Kohona said that China has now offered another 300,000 vaccines to Sri Lanka.
The diplomat said that China’s offer has been conveyed to the Sri Lankan authorities in Colombo.
He said that now it is in the hands of the Sri Lankan authorities to register the vaccine for emergency use. (Easwaran Rutnam)