Upwards of 20,000 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 in the first 10 days of the nation-wide vaccination programme initiated this February.

As per the latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), a total of 3,910 persons were administered doses of the Covid-19 vaccine between 6pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday. Of this number, 3,285 were vaccinated in seven vaccination centers in the Greater Male' area and 625 persons were vaccinated across 38 centers established in different atolls.

With this, a total of 20,161 people have been administered Covid-19 vaccine doses, which make up 16,703 persons vaccinated in the Greater Male' area and 3,458 people vaccinated across different atolls of the Maldives since the beginning of this month

On Wednesday, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom and wife Nasreena Ibrahim both received their first doses of the Covishield vaccine at Senahiya Hospital.

Maumoon confirmed their inoculation in a tweet, and asked all citizens to receive the vaccine and be protective of their health.

The World Health Organization (WHO)'s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (Sage) on Wednesday backed using the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine to immunize against Covid-19, even in countries where the new variants of the virus may be in active spread.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine can be refrigerated at manageable temperatures, and has been hailed as the "vaccine of the world' due to low manufacturing costs that make it more accessible to even the most disadvantaged communities battling Covid-19.