Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Saturday that the first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in India was expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on Jan 27.

Sri Lanka will be receiving 600,000 vials of doses with the first vaccine consignment.

The president, speaking at the function in Kalutara, in western Sri Lanka, said the COVID-19 jabs will be first administered to medical officers, Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) and other health sector workers who are on the front line of coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Medical workers prepare COVID-19 vaccination trials in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan. 23, 2021. COVID-19 vaccination trials got underway in Sri Lanka on Saturday, the Health Ministry said, in order to prepare for the vaccination drive once it arrives here next week. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)

Tri-forces personnel who work closely with medical staff and people who are more vulnerable to the virus will be given the jabs subsequently, the president added.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccination trials got underway in Sri Lanka on Saturday, the Health Ministry said, in order to prepare for the vaccination drive once it arrives here next week.

Deputy Director-General of Health Services (DDGHS) Dr. Hemantha Herath said this trial will help health officials to get an idea as to how the vaccination should be administered and also identify the discrepancies and shortcomings in the process.

This will also give officials the idea to determine the number of vaccines that could be given to the recipients within an hour or a day, Dr. Herath said.