Sri Lanka to receive COVID-19 vaccines from India next week: President

Sri Lanka will receive COVID-19 vaccines free from India next week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Saturday, a day after country approved emergency use of Oxford AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine.

We do t have to wait longer than 27th of this month to receive a quantity of free vaccines from India,  president said, dressing presidential mobile service at Walallawita south of here this morning.Front-line health workers, Army and police and most vulnerable elderly will be given vaccine as a priority, president said, amid warnings from doctors that front-line health workers should be quickly iculated to prevent medical system from collapsing.

"We will also buy COVID-19 vaccines from Russia and China," president said.

president's comments came as health authorities conducted three dry runs of vaccination process.India this week anunced that it will send COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Sri Lanka and seven or countries -- Bhutan, Maldives, Banglesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles, Afghanistan and Mauritius.

Nepal, Banglesh, Bhutan and Maldives have alrey received India’s COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance in sync with its “Neighbourhood First” policy.While Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield is being manufactured by Serum Institute, Covaxin doses are being produced by Bharat Biotech.

India on Friday welcomed Sri Lanka’s emergency use approval of Covishield vaccine which is being manufactured by Serum Institute of India.

Sri Lanka has witnessed a fresh outbreak of disease in October when two clusters - one centered on a garment factory and or on main fish market - emerged in Colombo and its suburbs.

Sri Lanka has reported 52,964 cases with 278 fatalities.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, who faced criticism for endorsing a local concoction supposedly a cure for virus promoted by an indigeus medicine practitioner, has tested positive for COVID-19.

health minister became fifth member of Parliament to have been found COVID-19 positive.