Sri Lanka has received the first batch of US-developed Moderna COVID-19 vaccines today (July 16), the Embassy of United States in Colombo said.

A special flight chartered by Qatar Airways touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning carrying 1.5 million doses of Moderna jab.

Donated by the United States, the 1,500,100 doses of the vaccine come to Sri Lanka under the dose-sharing mechanism of COVAX facility promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe.

“These vaccines are given at no cost to the Government of Sri Lanka as part of America’s commitment to ending the global pandemic and our enduring partnership with the people of Sri Lanka.  They will help Sri Lankans get back to work and to stay healthy, a gift we make in reflection of the long-standing friendship between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives. 

“Our partnership with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and other global COVAX partners to deliver these vaccines is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy.”

On behalf of the American people, I’m proud to announce the arrival of over 1.5 Mn Moderna #vaccines in🇱🇰. This donation through #COVAX will save lives & address the urgent health needs of the🇱🇰 people, as well as mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19.https://t.co/8U7LUCqHK3 pic.twitter.com/sSwLPnZk4L

— Ambassador Teplitz (@USAmbSLM) July 16, 2021

This vaccine delivery builds on the United States government’s ongoing leadership on global vaccination efforts as the world’s largest donor to COVAX. 

The 1.5 million doses delivered to the Sri Lankan Government today are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to providing equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines. As noted by the White House, “Our vaccines do not come with strings attached. We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives.”

“The Government of Sri Lanka would like to commend the United States for taking the lead in sharing these doses with the people of Sri Lanka”, said Minister of Health, Pavithra Wanniarachchi. 

“This will add momentum to our ongoing efforts to protect our people from the pandemic through vaccination. The pandemic is not confined to a single country, therefore this kind of mutual support will strengthen the global efforts in combating COVID 19 pandemic”, she added.

For her part, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy, said, “across the world, the United Nations is supporting countries to mobilize the largest global immunization effort in history. Human innovation and science have succeeded in providing us with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. for everyone. Thanks to the generous support of the United States through the COVAX facility to vaccinate Sri Lankans, the UN in Sri Lanka alongside our Agencies WHO and UNICEF will continue to work with the Government to stem the spread of COVID-19 and recover from the pandemic.”

Sri Lanka is currently rolling out vaccinations against COVID-19 for eligible groups, in line with the National Vaccine Deployment Plan of the Ministry of Health (MOH). Today’s shipment of vaccines is the second from COVAX following the delivery in March of the first batch of 264,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca ‘Covishield’ vaccines.

Reportedly, 750,000 of these Moderna shots are expected to be administered as the first dose, and the remaining 750,000 will be rolled out as the second dose after one-month period.

This is the fifth vaccine Sri Lanka will be adding to its national inoculation drive, State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said. The island nation is currently rolling out Sinopharm, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.

“Fighting COVID-19 is not up to each country alone, as it is afflicting every country. Collaboration among countries to protect lives and mitigate the effects COVID-19 everywhere is absolutely essential, so it is great to see the collaboration between the United States and Sri Lanka in this instance, through the COVAX facility”, said UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative, Christian Skoog. “UNICEF is happy to have supported logistically the arrival of these vaccines”.

WHO Representative to Sri Lanka, Dr Alaka Singh noted that, “COVID-19 has changed global public health in a very fundamental way.  This is captured by the solidarity underlining COVAX and, as co-lead, WHO has championed equitable access to vaccines because ‘no one is safe unless everyone is safe’.  WHO has also called for dose-sharing as a feasible way to close the immediate supply gap and appreciates this response from the United States.  WHO commends Sri Lanka’s vaccination effort as the key response to the pandemic, backed by public health and social measures”.

COVAX is a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and UNICEF; it aims to provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

On April 30, the World Health Organization listed Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Thereby, the Moderna jab became the fifth to be given the status meant to expedite countries’ own approval of shots.

Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), thoroughly assessing the data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, has also authorized its use across the European Union.

The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), in January, had already recommended Moderna’s vaccine for all age groups 18 and above.

According to the SAGE’s recommendation, the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine can be used at a schedule of two doses (100 µg, 0.5 ml each) 28 days apart. If necessary, the interval between the doses may be extended to 42 days.

In a clinical trial involving around 30,000 people in total, the Moderna vaccine has shown to have an efficacy of approximately 94.1% in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose.

The trial also showed 90.9% efficacy in participants at risk of severe COVID-19, including those with chronic lung disease, heart disease, obesity, liver disease, diabetes or HIV infection.