Sri Lanka plans to offer booster shots of Covid-19 to the front-line workers followed by the senior citizens as the island nation prepares for further ease coronavirus restrictions, announced the officials on Saturday.
Channa Jayasumana, the state minister of pharmaceutical production, supply and regulation said that starting from Nov. 1 the workers in the health, security, airport and tourism sectors will start receiving the third dose of vaccine.
The Pfizer booster shots for Covid-19 will then include those above 60 years, he said.
59% of the 22 million population have been vaccinated so far, and the Health Ministry expects the rate to increase to 70% within three weeks.
Just before the government plans to lift monthslong travel restrictions between provinces on Nov. 1, the booster rollout has been announced. It has also been announced by the government that the train services will restart next week that has been halted for nearly two months.
On Oct 1, the Sri Lanka has removed a six-week lockdown and since then life in the country has begun returning to normal with the reopening of theatres, restaurants and wedding parties as COVID-19 daily cases fell to below 1,000 with less than 50 deaths.
However, a ban on public gatherings continues along with some restrictions on public transport.
