US pledges more vaccines to Sri Lanka

The Biden Administration in the United States yesterday pledged more Covid vaccines for Sri Lanka.

The vaccines will be part of approximately 16 million allocated for Asia, The White House announced last night.

Accordingly, the 16 million vaccines have been allocated for India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific Islands.

The Biden-harris Administration yesterday announced the distribution list for 55 million of the 80 million doses of America’s own vaccine supply President Biden has pledged to allocate by the end of June in service of ending the pandemic globally. Earlier this month, the Administration announced the plan for the first 25 million doses which includes doses for Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Embassy in the US said that the specific vaccines and the timeline of delivery was still not known.

The White House said the specific vaccines and amounts will be determined and shared as the Administration works through the logistical, regulatory and other parametres particular to each region and country.(EASWARAN RUTNAM)