Sri Lanka opens "walk in" community COVID-19 vaccination centers

Medical workers prepare the COVID-19 vaccine at a "walk-in" community COVID-19 vaccination center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 5, 2021. Sri Lanka launched new "walk-in" community COVID-19 vaccination centers throughout the country on Monday after another batch of the Sinopharm vaccines arrived from China. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

Sri Lanka launched new "walk in" community COVID-19 vaccination centers throughout the country on Monday after another batch of the Sinopharm vaccines arrived from China.

According to local media, the vaccines will be administered to all those above the age of 30 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. local time at the allocated centers.

Health officials said for those residing in the capital Colombo, which has in recent months recorded a high number of infected patients, those eligible must produce a National Identity Card (NIC) with electricity or telephone bill, a copy of the electoral list or a residential proof.

According to the Health Ministry, the Sinopharm vaccine has become the main vaccine to be administered across Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is facing a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with authorities warning of a spread of the Delta variant.

The country has to date recorded 265,630 patients since the first local case was detected in March last year, while 3,236 deaths have been reported.

Presently the active patient count in the country stands at 27,452.