The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed that they expect to receive a shipment of syringes used in the administration of Covid-19 vaccines, within the week.
Maldives rolled out the booster doses for immunocompromised persons, seniors and frontline workers during November 2021.
The decision to administer booster shots to frontliners and those at high-risk of complications from Covid-19 who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine, comes following recommendations from the Maldives Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and they are currently being administered in categories.
Although Maldives had received a shipment of 100,620 Pfizer doses, HPA later revealed that the delay in administering them was observed due to a lack of syringe stock, in the face of a global storage shortage.
The public health authority has since revealed that although a specific date for the shipment’s arrival cannot be provided, the shipment is expected to arrive within the ongoing week.
Following this, HPA will announce a date they will begin administering the booster doses.
Booster doses are given to those who have passed six months since completing second dose of the vaccination. Those who will be eligible to receive booster shots include individuals who have undergone an organ transplant, those on immunosuppressant drugs, long-term steroids as well as patients undergoing dialysis.
Further, cancer patients and those who had finished their treatment less than an year ago, those who are overweight, those taking oxygen therapy at home, patients of pulmonary diseases, liver diseases, diabetics and even those who are bedridden due to illness.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had earlier revealed that booster doses will be opened to the public on 15 December 2021.
Booster doses will be administered on an appointment-only basis, at Hulhumalé Hospital, Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and Dhamanaveshi.
According to the latest statistics issued by the public health authority, a total of 368,238 persons have completed both doses of the vaccine whereas 396,981 persons have received first doses nationwide under the government’s "Covid-19 Dhifaau" inoculation drive.
The total number of persons who have received booster shots sits at 27,762 by Monday’s end.
