Over 5,000 individuals were vaccinated against the coronavirus pandemic by Sunday’s end.

A total of 5,163 individuals were vaccinated under the government’s “Covid-19 Dhifaau” inoculation drive nationwide.

According to the latest Covid-19 vaccination updates publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), 390 residents of the Greater Malé Region received their first vaccine doses from two mobile teams across nine vaccination centers in the capital, whereas 2,757 received their first shots across 237 vaccination centers in outlying atolls.

Further, while the health authorities began administering the second Covid-19 vaccination doses on April 3, a total of 1,969 Malé residents received shots on Sunday. Vaccinations for those receiving their second shots have also begun across outlying atolls, with 47 receiving their second shots in atolls so far.

This pushes the total number of residents in the capital region vaccinated so far to 135,961. The total number of vaccination doses administered under the government’s national Covid-19 inoculation drive across outlying atolls sits at 114,100. This includes 246,896 who received their first doses and 3,737 who received second doses.

Vaccinations are open for those who received their first jabs between February 1 – 4.

The second shots for the Sinopharm vaccinations will be given after three to four weeks following the first dose. While two shots are required to effectively build immunity against the fatal infection, both shots must be of the same type.

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

On March 15, authorities discontinued the inoculation programme across the Covid-19 epicenter Malé, however, HPA resumed administering the first doses of vaccination on March 22.

The public health authority started the second round of vaccinations with the Sinopharm vaccine produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products of China, for everyone above 18 years of age and below 60, who were unable to get their shots in the first round.

Earlier this year, neighboring India donated 200,000 Covishield doses to the Maldives after which Maldives signed an agreement to purchase 300,000 more Covishield doses from Serum Institute of India and the Serum Institute of Life Sciences, the first consignment of which arrived in late March.

During March, Maldives received a consignment of 200,000 Sinopharm doses donated by the government of China to amp up the country’s vaccination efforts.

The Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) earlier stressed the importance of vaccinating in order to build herd-immunity against Covid-19 within Maldivian communities.