Sri Lanka has asked Japan to provide 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
The request was made at a meeting held Wednesday between Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Akira Sugiyama, while Sugiyama explained Japan's goal to donate 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries overseas.
The Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat said its request "has been met with positive responses."
Sri Lanka earlier launched an inoculation drive using vaccine obtained from neighboring India, but progress stalled after India restricted vaccine exports amid its own rapid surge in infections. Upwards of 600,000 people in Sri Lanka are now said to be waiting to receive their second dose.
The Japanese government indicated that it will consider the request carefully, taking into account availability of the vaccine in its national stockpiles.
"We intend to review the specifics for each country, carefully weighing factors such as the level of infection and the need for vaccine," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
