Health Protection Agency HPA says more than 38,500 people have now been given the COVID-19 vaccine in the Maldives.

HPA said in a tweet that 5,485 people were vaccinated in the country yesterday including the 4,257 inoculated in the Greater Male' Area and the 1129 jabbed in the Atolls.

HPA said so far 31,322 people in the Greater Male' Area and 7,170 people in the Atolls have been given the COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to combat the pandemic which has now unleased its third wave of infections in the Maldives.

HPA confirmed that a total of 38,591 people have now been given the vaccine in the massive inoculation drive that kicked-off earlier this month.

The Agency said that there are 8 vaccination centers in the Greater Male' Area and that authorities have now set-up 48 vaccination centers in the Atolls.

The Maldives has received COVID-19 vaccine donations from both India and China, two of its strongest allies.

Authorities have said that they are working to secure more vaccine shipments in order to achieve the ambitious goal of inoculating the whole population against COVID-19 within the next few months.