As many as 135,000 people in Kandy who received the first dose of SputnikV Russian made vaccine have been plunged into another crisis, according to a government announcement that no public places, including government offices, will be open to anyone who has not received both doses.
At present, Sputnik has not given the second dose to 135,000 people in the Teldeniya, Kundasale, Gangawata Korale and Kandy city limits.
Since the first dose and second dose of Sputnik V are of different compositions people who received the first dose cannot be vaccinated with the same first dose as many other Covid vaccines. World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend and vaccine substitute as the second dose for Sputnik v. In this event people should be inoculated with the specific second dose of Sputnik, however, there is no arrangement made by the authorities so far, health sources said.
It is reported that Sputnik V has so far received only 15000-second doses which are to receive adults over 60 years of age residing within the Kundasale and Kandy Municipal Council limits.
“We are under a lot of pressure. The health sector says they need this dose. That they are at risk. Magistrates in the judiciary and others have demanded that Covid be given priority as he is exposed to activities such as autopsies. In the meanwhile, they call the identities of individual politicians, make phone calls and sneak in to get the vaccine. This situation is more complicated than you think. ”
A Kandy health officials told Lankasara.
No one is commenting on the second dose of the vaccine, and Minister of State Prof. Channa Jayasumana alone has stated that only 35,000 more doses will be received by September, which is not a confirmed statement, the provincial health department said.
These health sources point out that even if 35000 doses came but another hundred thousand were helpless. Ground-level health sources revealed.
