COLOMBO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Over 500,000 people in Sri Lanka have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, official statistics from the Health Ministry showed on Tuesday.
According to the Health Ministry, 509,275 people have been inoculated since the vaccination program rolled out on Jan. 29 which included frontline workers and health workers in the island country.
Sri Lanka began vaccinating its citizens after 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines arrived at the end of January from India, initially for the country's frontline workers.
The vaccination then rolled out into the public by mid-February, where citizens above the age of 30 began receiving the jabs.
Health workers said presently the vaccination program is open to those in the Western Province which has been labeled as a "hotspot" for the virus.
Health officials set up special vaccination centers in all districts of the province, and people were required to provide their personal and medical information to the officers present and receive the vaccine shots.
Sri Lanka last week received a further 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute in India after a purchase order was placed for 10 million vaccines.
The Sri Lankan government said it aims to vaccinate a majority of its population this year and will provide the vaccines free of charge. Enditem
