<p>Sri Lanka will purchase 2 to 3 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from its Indian manufacturing company Serum Institute of India during the next two days, a top Sri Lankan official said here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Lalith Weeratunga, the advisor to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that purchasing from India will follow Thursday’s arrival of India’s free vaccines to Sri Lanka.</p>.<p>He said the Indian Covishield vaccine is to arrive tomorrow and the consignment will be accepted by President Rajapaksa at the Colombo international airport.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/sri-lanka-to-receive-covid-19-vaccines-from-india-next-week-president-rajapaksa-942413.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka to receive Covid-19 vaccines from India next week: President Rajapaksa</a></strong></p>.<p>A total of 250,000 people, mostly health frontline workers, members of the security forces and police and the vulnerable aged, will get the vaccine on a priority basis.</p>.<p>The vaccination programme for which dry runs were made over the weekend will commence on Friday.</p>.<p>Weeratunga added that 300,000 free vaccines from China are also due and the government would be requesting Russia also for the vaccine.</p>.<p>Sri Lanka has recorded a near 60,000 cases till January 26, with 288 deaths from the pandemic since it was found in the island nation in mid-March last year.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/sri-lanka-to-conduct-covid-19-vaccination-trial-runs-on-january-23-942194.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka to conduct Covid-19 vaccination trial-runs on January 23</a></strong></p>.<p>India is one of the world's biggest drugmakers and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring the coronavirus vaccines.</p>.<p>In the last few days, India has sent consignments of domestically produced coronavirus vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius and Seychelles.</p>.<p>It is also undertaking commercial supplies of the doses to a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil and Morocco.</p>
<p>Sri Lanka will purchase 2 to 3 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from its Indian manufacturing company Serum Institute of India during the next two days, a top Sri Lankan official said here on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Lalith Weeratunga, the advisor to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that purchasing from India will follow Thursday’s arrival of India’s free vaccines to Sri Lanka.</p>.<p>He said the Indian Covishield vaccine is to arrive tomorrow and the consignment will be accepted by President Rajapaksa at the Colombo international airport.</p>.<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/sri-lanka-to-receive-covid-19-vaccines-from-india-next-week-president-rajapaksa-942413.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka to receive Covid-19 vaccines from India next week: President Rajapaksa</a></strong></p>.<p>A total of 250,000 people, mostly health frontline workers, members of the security forces and police and the vulnerable aged, will get the vaccine on a priority basis.</p>.<p>The vaccination programme for which dry runs were made over the weekend will commence on Friday.</p>.<p>Weeratunga added that 300,000 free vaccines from China are also due and the government would be requesting Russia also for the vaccine.</p>.<p>Sri Lanka has recorded a near 60,000 cases till January 26, with 288 deaths from the pandemic since it was found in the island nation in mid-March last year.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/sri-lanka-to-conduct-covid-19-vaccination-trial-runs-on-january-23-942194.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka to conduct Covid-19 vaccination trial-runs on January 23</a></strong></p>.<p>India is one of the world's biggest drugmakers and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring the coronavirus vaccines.</p>.<p>In the last few days, India has sent consignments of domestically produced coronavirus vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius and Seychelles.</p>.<p>It is also undertaking commercial supplies of the doses to a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil and Morocco.</p>