Colombo, March 7 -- Sri Lanka has received the first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccines through the international COVAX facility run by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN body said on Sunday.

"Arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility in Sri Lanka marks another step in our goal to ensure equitable and fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally," WHO said in a statement.

The first delivery to the South Asian island country included 264,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca/Oxford vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India. By May, Sri Lanka is expected to receive 1,440,000 doses.

"The additional doses to cover 20% of Sri Lanka's population will arrive in the second half of 2021. All these doses a...