COLOMBO — Sri Lanka has approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, becoming the first vaccine to get a nod from the country's National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA).

Making the announcement, Minister for Pharmaceutical Production and Regulation Channa Jayasumana said: “We believe we will be able to provide it in a few days in Sri Lanka. This is the first time we have given approval for a COVID-19 vaccine in the country,” he said.

Meanwhile, State Minister Sudarshani Fernandopulle said the vaccine will be imported to Sri Lanka by mid-February.

“We will get 20 percent of the population covered by the Covax facility. For another 30 percent of the population, the government shall purchase a vaccine. Our intention is to cover at least 50 percent of the population,” she said.