‘SL will go by WHO listing’

Sri Lanka will follow WHO recommendations with regard to the COVID-19 vaccines, it is learnt, with vaccines expected in late February or early March.

“We will not be moving away from the WHO recommendation at all. No country recommendation overrides the WHO. I can guarantee you this. The WHO has done the necessary evaluations and we will go by its recommendations,” said Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, reiterating that the country will adhere to the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) which is also very strict about what it brings into the country.

He has held discussions with NMRA Chairman Prof. Asita de Silva and the NMRA is working very fast but within the agreed parameters.

Meanwhile, NMRA Chairman Prof. Asita de Silva said that as yet the NMRA has not given provisional registration for any vaccine for emergency use, assuring that the NMRA had a telephone discussion with AstraZeneca on Thursday and is due to hold talks with Pfizer on Tuesday.

He reiterated that the NMRA would strictly follow the WHO’s emergency-use listing with regard to COVID-19 vaccines. This is because WHO checks all aspects of safety and efficacy of a vaccine before including it on the emergency-use listing. As such Sri Lanka does not need to re-invent the wheel. However, where a vaccine is not on the WHO’s emergency use listing, the NMRA will consider the protocol and evaluate all the evidence on a case-bycase basis, before taking a decision.

Assuring that Sri Lanka is on track to get vaccines through COVAX, Prof. de Silva said there is a chance that some countries which have ordered excessive doses may provide 200,000 vials of the Pfizer vaccine early to us through COVAX. A meeting was held on Friday to finalize the National Vaccination Deployment Plan and send all the details to COVAX by January 12. This includes the regulatory side for both routine and emergency listing which fall under Section 109 of the NMRA Act.