COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka on Friday began inoculating front-line health workers, military troops and police officers against COVID-19 amid warnings that the medical sector faces a collapse because of health personnel being infected with the coronavirus.

Sri Lanka on Thursday received 500,000 vaccine doses as a donation from neighboring India. The Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine also known as the COVISHIELD is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

The government says 150,000 health workers and 115,000 military and police will be given primary access to the vaccine.

Sri Lanka has been experiencing a new outbreak of the disease since October with the emergence of two clusters — one centered at a garment factory and other at a fish market.

Sri Lanka has reported a total of 61,585 cases, including 297 fatalities.