A total of 56,218 people have received their first dose of the Covishield vaccine in Maldives, with 6,171 vaccinations conducted by authorities on Wednesday.

According to the most recent vaccination update by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), 6,171 people were vaccinated against Covid-19 across the Maldives on Wednesday, bringing the total number of those vaccinated against the infection up to 56,218 since the beginning of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme this February.

Out of the 6,171 vaccinations conducted Wednesday, 4,130 were from nine vaccination centers in the Greater Male' region, which brings the total number of those vaccinated in the city up to 43,838. A further 1,861 people were vaccinated in 66 vaccination centers established across islands nationwide, adding up to 12,380 vaccinations conducted in atolls this month.

Health authorities have now initiated vaccination procedures for all those above the age of 35 in the Greater Male' Area, which remains the nations largest hotspot for Covid-19 infections. The Maldivian Red Crescent (MRC) has been providing logistics support to the Maldivian government in the national Covid-19 vaccination programme, and have now initiated vaccination for undocumented foreign workers, who make up a significant portion of the country's population.

On Wednesday, the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) confirmed in a press conference that, in light of the latest research findings from the World Health Organization (WHO), in addition to recommendations from the Maldives Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, the second dose of the Covishield vaccine will be administered to persons eight weeks after they received the initial dose.

Health authorities have confirmed that vaccination efforts will continue in the Maldives until all available Covishield vaccines have been administered as first doses.

The government has confirmed that the Maldives will be receiving additional doses of the Covishield vaccine within the month. In addition to this, following the WHO's emergency use approval for the Covishield vaccine, it is expected that the Maldives will be among countries to receive the vaccine from the COVAX facility, the global initiative established to ensure vaccine security for all countries worldwide.