Sri  Lanka’s Vaccination Drive: A big step in the right direction

• It is now heartening to note that the government has imported large quantities of the vaccine and is in the process of ordering more in the coming weeks
• There has also been a lot of misinformation about the vaccine itself with many connected to the health sector here and abroad coming out with numerous opinions
• The government is giving priority to the vaccination drive and attaching more importance to it in the current context 

Sri Lanka’s vaccination drive against the Corona virus which began in fits and starts in Jan/Feb this year went into top gear around the beginning of  August 2021.
While fully understanding the logistical and other difficulties faced by the government and the health authorities, the vaccination programme neglected the most Productive age group in Sri Lanka which is the 30 - 60 group.
Whichever vaccination centre they went to, they were turned away saying only the over sixties will be vaccinated, but with the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccine, this situation has changed for 
the better.

There has also been a lot of misinformation about the vaccine itself with many connected to the health sector here and abroad coming out with numerous opinions, some of which confused the general public to some extent.
The social media continues to bombard information on the subject of Covid  24/7 and it is my opinion that the public should check the source and authenticity of the information before circulating it.
It is now heartening to note that the government has imported large quantities of the vaccine and is in the process of ordering more in the coming weeks. 

The information on the availability of the vaccine and the vaccination centres have to be clearly communicated to the people for the greater success of the vaccination programme.
The government and the health authorities should work very closely and have a very senior medical person such as the DG Health Services issue daily communiques to the public on the pandemic in the country and the progress the government is making. The public should be advised daily on the do’s and don’ts with regard to the prevention of Covid.

It is also imperative that a suitable and qualified government spokesman be appointed to inform the public about the safety implementation programme put in place by the government.
 The government giving priority to the vaccination drive and attaching more importance to it in the current context is a big step in the right direction.