The first consignment of the US made Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 carrying 26,000 doses arrived in Sri Lanka at 5 am this (05) morning. The consignment was landed on Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport.
State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana and a group of officials arrived in the Airport welcoming the consignment and told the reporters that Sri Lanka is the first country in the South Asian region to obtain the US-made Pfizer vaccine.
However, the Minister’s comments met with immediate backlash on media, as it was revealed that his sentiment on the vaccine was false. Maldives was the first South Asian country to obtain the vaccine from the United States.
UNICEF revealed on March 25, 2021 that they received consignments of the Pfizer vaccine under the WHO-led COVAX initiative in a tweet.
Accordingly, either State Minister Jayasumana has erased Maldives from existence in the South Asian region, or the Maldivian government has deceived the public by claiming that they received consignments of the vaccine.
