A boy receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sept. 24, 2021. Sri Lankan authorities on Friday began administering the COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 19 years who have comorbidities and are disabled. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)
COLOMBO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Friday began administering the COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 19 years who have comorbidities and are disabled.
Sri Lanka's Army Commander and Head of the National Operations Center for the Prevention of COVID-19, General Shavendra Silva said the vaccination drive was rolled out at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in capital Colombo, Anuradhapura in the north-central province and Kurunegala in northwestern Sri Lanka.
Silva said the children are being administered the Pfizer vaccines under doctors' observation.
This program will soon roll out to all the districts across the country, the army commander added.
According to official statistics, there are an estimated 50,000 children in Sri Lanka with congenital diseases who will be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus in the coming days.
Sri Lanka is in the midst of a nationwide mass-scale vaccination program with those above 20 years of age being inoculated.
The leading vaccine being administered in the country is Sinopharm, followed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik V.
The country, since March last year, has detected 510,050 COVID-19 cases and 12,448 deaths. Enditem
