Addressing questions raised about vaccine distribution, Dr. Guruge shared that different areas in Sri Lanka received different vaccines based solely on the availability of vaccines at the time of distribution. Commenting on the reason for such countries to continue refusing to accept vaccines like Sinopharm as valid, Wijayasinghe shared her personal view that she feels this might have more to do with geopolitics than scientific fact. Dr. Gamage, commenting scientifically, shared that though people think some vaccines have better immunogenicity (immune response development) than others, this is not the case, and all vaccines have good immunogenicity. Another common trope associated with foreign travel is the need to get a third vaccine dose or booster shot in order to travel. Dr. Gamage explained that booster shots are not related to foreign travel but have been considered by some as an added measure for those with suppressed immunity.

Source: The Nation September 15, 2021 18:56 UTC