10 February 2021 12:00 am
With regard to the news item carried yesterday in the Daily Mirror with the title ‘Sri Lanka seeks more details on Chinese, Russian vaccines’ Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama has sent the following clarification.
“Today, your esteemed paper had a news item with the above caption quoting me. In this article, the writer has said “Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama said that Sri Lanka has determined that the Pfizer vaccine is the best vaccine around.” I totally deny saying anything to this effect. Not only that, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority has not received any documents still from Pfizer to register its vaccine in Sri Lanka and therefore, we have not fully evaluated this vaccine and therefore, no such determination can be made. “This false statement in the above article will give an impression to the public that the Ministry of Health is not giving the best vaccine to the people in Sri Lanka. This will also create a wrong impression on me.”
Reporters note: Dr. Ananda Wijewickrema said at the press conference, and the video now appears on the Government Information Department website, that they have found the Pfizer vaccine is a good vaccine and he did not say it was determined as being the best.
The error is regretted There was no attempt to give any impression that the best vaccine is not being provided to the country.