COVID-19: World Bank provides USD 80 million to Sri Lanka for vaccines

The World Bank on Thursday announced a USD 80.5 million credit for Sri Lanka to help it purchase vaccines for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Washington-based global financial institution said that the new financing will help purchase vaccines to cover approximately 4 million people.

In addition, it will cover the costs of deploying safe and effective vaccines to 20 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population to meet the target of vaccinating at least 60 per cent of its population, the World Bank said in a statement.

“Sri Lanka has demonstrated resilience in the implementation of its test, trace and treat pandemic management strategy, which has relied on its well-established public healthcare system,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

“To recover from the pandemic-induced impacts, Sri Lanka needs sustainable financing mechanisms to further strengthen and equip its healthcare system to protect its population through improved vaccination programmes and curative and preventive healthcare,” the official said.

(Source: Daily Mirror)