Health Protection Agency HPA says under the program to immunize the Maldivian population against the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have now administered the first dose of the vaccine to 46 percent of those eligible for the vaccine in the country.
HPA said in its daily update that, on Sunday 7,908 people had received the 1st dose of the covishield vaccine.
It said this includes 4,941 from the Greater Male' Area where authorities have had to deal with massive queues at the vaccination centers for a second day as authorities had said before that tomorrow would be the last day that the first dose of the vaccine would be given in the Greater Male' Area.
HPA also said that 2,967 people were given the first dose of the vaccine in the Atolls on Sunday.
The Agency said that a total of 206,114 people have now been given the first dose of the covishield vaccine in the Maldives since HPA kicked-off its nationwide inoculation drive last month.
This includes 116,636 from the Greater Male' Area and 89,478 in the Atolls.
Meanwhile, Health Emergency Operations Center HEOC Spokesperson Dr. Fathimath Nazla Rafeeq said last night that the government had entered into an agreement with India's Serum Institute to buy 300,000 doses of the covishield vaccine.
Speaking to the media, Dr. Nazla said that China had committed to giving 200,000 doses of vaccine and that the COVAX institute had also donated 108,000 doses of the vaccine to the Maldives. She added that the Maldives has received 12,000 from that and that it is already in use.
Dr.Nazla said that authorities are also looking to secure 5850 doses of Pfizer vaccine as well and that with the current vaccine in stock authorities would be able to administer the second dose of the vaccine next month.
