General Shavendra Silva, Head, National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO), Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, had his COVID-19 vaccine jabbed on Saturday morning (06) at the Colombo Army Hospital after more than 62,000 tri service personnel at epidemic work received their vaccines across the country.
Showing his concern towards the Army’s dedicated commitment for the cause, the High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay who was instrumental in getting down the stocks on priority basis at the President’s request, added regard, recognition and honour to the Army’s dedication for the project by arriving at the Colombo Army Hospital, together with the Indian High Commission’s Defence Attaché when General Shavendra Silva showed up at the hospital to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Despite risks involved, General Shavendra Silva who was determined in prioritizing the need for vaccination of tri service frontline personnel, engaged in COVID-19 operations as an exemplary leader, managed to receive a consignment of some 63,000 vaccines, but kept off from receiving his own vaccine until to-date, having reportedly told the NOCPCO Task Force a few weeks ago that he, as a pioneer in the campaign, would not go for the jab until all his tri service front-liners, vulnerable to infection, were given adequate numbers of vaccines in the first place, said the Sri Lanka Army.
Minutes after General Shavendra Silva was inoculated, Army Medical Staff on the directions given by the Commander of the Army began vaccinating a gathering of musicians and artists who are above 60 years of age after a request to this effect was made by respective representatives of their associations.
Tri service troops, majority being Army personnel in their thousands are currently engaged in multifaceted roles by way of conduct of island-wide quarantine and care centres, transportation of infectees and others taken for quarantining, facilitation of their 14-day stays, public control measures, screening work at airports, provision of the vaccine, etc.
Colombo Army Hospital has also been used to provide those vaccines to Ministers, Parliamentarians, Diplomatic staff members, lawyers, judges, staff members of Courts, religious leaders in the Western Province
