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Faulty Health Ministry circular sees to 9K vaccine doses wasted 

14 Feb 2021

  • Ministry in talks over ‘extra dose’ 

  Nearly 9,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine have so far been wasted due to a circular issued by the Health Ministry regarding guidelines for the COVISHIELD Covid-19 vaccination campaign, The Sunday Morning learnt.  It is learnt that the Ministry’s circular, issued by the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena on 28 January, has recommended using only 10 doses, which is equivalent to 5 ml, out of the 6 ml Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine vial. The guidelines attached to the circular stated: “The vaccine is stored at over 20°C to +80°C (need to protect from freezing and direct sunlight), in ready-to-use, liquid non-preservative, multi-dose vaccines of 5 ml (10 doses). Shelf-life around six months on production and expiry date is available on the product label.”  National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) CEO Dr. Kamal Jayasinghe confirmed to The Sunday Morning that one vial contains 6 ml of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.  However, when contacted, Sri Lanka Association of Government Medical Laboratory Technologists (SLGMLT) President Ravi Kumudesh said that there had been complaints from the health staff engaged in the COVISHIELD vaccination programme that at least one dose of the vaccine (0.5 ml) is being wasted, as the Ministry had recommended only 10 doses.  He told The Sunday Morning that the circular might have been issued based on the recommendations of the manufacturer to keep an excess of 1 ml of the vaccine inside the vial in case the doses are not correctly measured to be an exact 0.5 ml. “But the local health workers have the expertise on vaccination, as Sri Lanka has good infrastructure and knowledge of vaccination for many years. Therefore, the circular should be issued in a practical way,” he added.  “Especially in a situation where there is a shortage, vaccine wastage cannot be accepted,” Kumudesh stressed.  When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Secretary to the State Ministry of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics, and Covid Disease Control Dr. Amal Harsha De Silva said that the circular issued by the Ministry of Health is based on manufacturer recommendations, but that there was no bar for the health workers to use an extra dose if they feel that there is enough vaccine inside the vial.  He said the health experts have also informed the Health Ministry regarding the possibility of using an extra dose from a vial, and that the Ministry is currently conducting discussions with the Epidemiology Unit to look into the possibilities.  In January, Sri Lanka received 500,000 doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine under the Government of India’s “Vaccine Maithri” (Vaccine Friendship) initiative. The AstraZeneca-Oxford COVISHIELD vaccine developed in the UK is manufactured by the Serum Institute in India.  According to the Epidemiology Unit, a total of 179,197 frontline workers have so far been vaccinated since 29 January.  Several attempts to contact Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera regarding the matter proved futile. 


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