The Health Ministry has approved the use of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the second dose for those who had obtained AstraZeneca as the first dose, State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said yesterday.
The panel of specialist medical experts on communicable diseases appointed by the Health Ministry has taken this decision. Accordingly, Sri Lanka is to receive 26,000 doses of Pfizer and one million doses of Moderna vaccines (from COVAX) within the next two weeks. The second dose vaccination programme will begin once these vaccine stocks are received.
There is a worldwide shortage of AstraZeneca vaccines as the main manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India, is not exporting its output due to the COVID outbreak in India. Following successful clinical trials abroad, it has been established that Moderna and Pfizer vaccines can safely be given as the second dose for those who had received AstraZeneca for the first dose.
Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are based on all-new mRNA technology and require cold chain storage of -20 Celsius and -70 Celsius respectively. Both vaccines have been approved for Emergency Use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Many countries around the world are using both vaccines.