There is a ongoing dialogue in the society about giving Pfizer vaccine to Hambantota.
Recently, the Association of Specialist Physicians had also protested against this. Meanwhile, Minister of State Channa Jayasumana had stated that he was not aware of what was happening.
Minister Namal Rajapaksa was directly accused of this. He said that he would get the army to give the best vaccine to the youth in Hambantota. However, he had also stated that he was not involved in it and that this was a decision taken by the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the State Pharmaceutical Corporation, Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, a specialist, had given a strange answer to this. Participating in a discussion called ‘Hiru Hard Talk’.
He says that the Pfizer vaccine was given to people between the ages of 20 and 29 in the Hambantota district because there is a port and an airport in that district. He said that due to the port and the airport, the Covid mutations are likely to spread rapidly in the district.
But the Association of Specialist Physicians recently said that since the number of Pfizer vaccines is so limited, it would be “informal” and “scientific” to give Pfizer vaccine to a group of people between the ages of twenty and thirty who can be immunized by a normal healthy Sinopharm vaccine.
Experts also point out that people who are immunocompromised, such as those with cancer or kidney disease, are given both Sinopharm injections but do not fully develop immunity, so this category should be treated with Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca injections.
This statement made by Dr. Prasanna Gunasena, a specialist, is now circulating rapidly on social media. It just has come up with funny phrases. If so, the JVP is also questioning him that the Pfizer vaccine should have been given to Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara areas as there are ports and airports.
However, Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath, a specialist, said that the vaccination priority lists were not given on political grounds and that the Pfizer vaccine was not given to Hambantota because it was a super vaccine. He says that Pfizer vaccine is being prepared for every district.
He said that due to the small population of Hambantota as compared to Colombo and Kalutara, the stock of Pfizer vaccine received in the districts where more than 80% of the vaccines had been given was given in a reasonable manner and the Youth Services Council had given the opportunity to do so.
He further stated that the Pfizer vaccine has not been handed over to the Army and since the vaccination process for those going abroad for education is being carried out through the Army, the vaccine required for the program will continue to be given to the Army only. has been.
He has stated this in response to an inquiry made by the official government news website regarding some news circulating in the media these days regarding the vaccination process such as the transfer of the Pfizer vaccine to Hambantota and its capture by the Army.
Shani