By Susitha Fernando

Colombo, Jul 9 (IANS): Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to vaccinate majority of the population against Covid-19 before September this year.

Rajapaksa said that 100 per cent of the 30-plus population in the Western province, the country's economic and administrative hub and also a high-risk area for Covid-19 spread, will be vaccinated by the end of July.

The President said this at a meeting with the special committee on prevention of Covid-19 outbreak, which included ministers, tri-forces heads and health authorities, on the vaccination drive and future plans.

He stated that the island nation is expected to receive two million Sinopharm vaccine doses by July 11 and 1.47 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine within the next two weeks.

"Steps must be taken to provide more space for resumption of economic activities as a significant percentage of doses have already been given to the people," Rajapaksa said.

He stressed the need to brief the foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka on the local vaccination drive and the current situation in the country.

The President also directed that instead of mixing vaccines as planned earlier, 600,000 out of the total AstraZeneca vaccine shots the country will receive within the next two weeks should be administered to those awaiting the second dose.

He instructed that Pfizer vaccines should be given to the fishermen in Northern Mannar district where they are interacting with the Indian fishermen.

He also said that the rest of the Pfizer vaccines be given to the students going abroad.

Sri Lanka Army Commander General Shavendra Silva had announced on Friday that over 1,000 Sri Lankan students expecting to go abroad for studies have registered for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine.