Health Protection Agency HPA has confirmed that a local man has died after receiving the first dose of the covishield vaccine.
HPA said via Twitter that a 45-year old man on a fishing vessel who was unwell and brought unresponsive to Himmafushi Health Centre has passed away today at 9:13 am.
HPA said that the man was from Alifu Alifu Atoll Maalhos and that he had received the first dose of the covishield vaccine on yesterday at Maalhos.
The Agency said that as per protocol, a full investigation is being carried out to confirm the cause of death.
HPA also said that it is important to note that serious events including death can occur unrelated to the vaccine.
This is the 3rd such case reported in the Maldives where the recipient of the vaccine had died shortly after being given the first dose of the vaccine.
Last month, an elderly couple had died after receiving the COVID vaccine and HPA had said that it would conduct a full investigation of the incident. HPA had not yet revealed the findings of the investigation.
Yesterday alone, more than 6000 people had received the first dose of the covishield vaccine, taking the total number of individuals vaccinated with the first dose to a promising 157,813. This includes 91,279 from the Greater Male' Area and 66, 534 from the Atolls.
The agency said that there are 8 vaccination centers and 2 mobile vaccination teams in the Greater Male Area. It also confirmed that authorities have set up 169 vaccination centers in the Atolls.
