According to Health Ministry, Sri Lanka to receive 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccines from United States on July 16. Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi says that 750,000 of the Moderna shots are expected to be administered as the first dose, and the remaining 750,000 will be rolled out as the second dose after one-month period. The coronavirus jab developed in the United States will be delivered to the island nation under the COVAX facility.

Moderna will be the 5th vaccine that Sri Lanka is administering. Sri Lanka has so far used AstraZeneca manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Chinese Sinopharm Russian Sputnik V and the U.S. Pfizer–BioNTech in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 30, the World Health Organization listed Moderna’s (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Thereby, the Moderna jab became the fifth to be given the status meant to expedite countries’ own approval of shots.