Maldives has recorded over 100,000 vaccinations against the Covid-19 pandemic, conducted across the country’s capital region.

The total number of vaccination doses administered under the government’s national Covid-19 inoculation drive currently sits at 186,930.

The country saw a new daily record of 11,474 persons inoculated against the global Covid-19 pandemic, by sundown on Thursday.

According to the latest Covid-19 vaccination updates publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), Thursday’s vaccinations include 6,015 across eight vaccination centers and two mobile teams in the Greater Malé Region as well as 5,459 in 169 vaccination centers across atolls.

With this, the total number of vaccinations administered across Maldives has surpassed the 186,000 mark. The total inoculation count includes 105,836 across the capital region and 81,094 residents administered their Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield doses across atolls nationwide.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih initiated the national Covid-19 vaccination programme on February 1.

Vaccinations are currently open for all those above the age of 18 years of age living in the Greater Malé Region, in addition to high-risk groups over the age of 18, and caretakers of elderly or chronically ill bedridden patients.

On March 9, the public health authority reported the death of a 45-year-old Maldivian man who was administered his first dose of the Covishield vaccination produced by India’s Serum Institute, a day prior. Despite this being the third death reported of persons who received their vaccination doses, the health authority has revealed that serious events including death is not necessarily linked to the vaccine.

The government has received international praise for the its rapid and organized Covid-19 vaccination efforts, foreign observers hailing the equitable distribution of vaccines across the island nation as an example for other world countries.

At a time the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has stressed the importance of vaccinating in order to build herd-immunity against Covid-19 within Maldivian communities as this would be the only way Covid-19 health and safety restrictions could be eased across the country, HPA has announced the decision to discontinue the administration of the first Covishield doses on March 15.

In light of this, the public has been urged to visit vaccination centers and receive their Covishield shots within the given deadline. However, HPA has revealed that some individuals are exempt from this and that they will continue administering first doses for a number of people including Covid-19 patients currently in isolation, the elderly, contacts of positive patients among others.

According to HPA, they will begin administering the second doses of Covishield during May or April at the earliest.

Neighboring India donated 100,000 Covishield doses to the Maldives during January, followed by another consignment of 100,000 vaccination doses during External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to the island nation in February.