By Waruna Karunatilake
COLOMBO, May 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Saturday approved
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Sri Lanka, as the
island nation battles a third wave of the virus, while suffering
a restricted supply of vaccines from neighboring India.
Dr. Sudharshani Fernandopulle, the minister overseeing the
fight against the epidemic, said in a statement the government
would order 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Sri Lanka is seeking to secure other vaccines as the Serum
Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer,
has suspended the delivery of AstraZeneca's Covishield
vaccine due to spiraling coronavirus infections in India.
Sri Lanka is the first country in South Asia to approve the
Pfizer vaccine. It has also approved Russia's Sputnik and
China's Sinopharm vaccines for emergency use.
The island nation reported 1,914 new cases and 19 deaths in
the past 24 hours, according to federal health data, and its
total number of active cases is higher than any point since the
pandemic began. Infections surged after crowded celebrations for
traditional New Year last month.
(Reporting by Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo
Writing by Alasdair Pal)
Astrazeneca (AZN)
