No specific COVID vaccines mandatory for migrant workers to enter countries they work: Randeniya

No country has made it mandatory that a specific brand of COVID-19 vaccine should have been given to the migrant worker who enters the country where he/she is employed, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) Deputy General Manager Mangala Randeniya said.

He said every country has furnished a list of vaccine types which are acceptable by them, through the External Affairs Ministry.

Accordingly brands such as Pfizer, Oxford AstraZeneca and Moderna have been accepted by most countries in the world. The majority of the Middle Eastern countries have accepted the Chinese Sinopharm Vaccine, Mr. Randeniya said.

Also, he said that a special web portal has been opened at the SLFEB for the pre-registration of migrant workers for COVID-19 vaccination programme, Mr. Randeniya added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)