BY Buddhika SamaraweeraApproximately one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine are currently being manufactured in Japan and are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka within the course of next week, according to the Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals State Ministry. However, it had been decided to halt the administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as the second dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, effective from 8 July. Rathnayake said: “Our portion of the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being manufactured in Japan. The Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine, manufactured in India by the Serum Institute, was the first Covid-19 vaccine administered in Sri Lanka in late January of this year. About 600,000 persons who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine in the country are yet to be given their second dose.

Source: The Nation July 22, 2021 17:48 UTC