2,994 people received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines across the Maldives on Sunday.
According to the latest Covid-19 vaccination updates publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), a total of 2,994 persons were administered their first doses of the Covid-19 vaccination across the Maldives from 6pm Saturday to 6pm Sunday.
A further 3,714 second doses of Covid-19 vaccines were also administered to residents across the country on Sunday.
With this, a total of 271,453 people have received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines in Maldives. As of now, 19,008 persons across the country have received their second doses of Covid-19 vaccines under the national Covid-19 vaccination drive, initiated by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on 1 February 2021.
Last week, the Health Protection Agency revealed that roughly 57 percent of the total eligible population in the Maldives had received their first Covid-19 vaccination shot.
HPA has now 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.
According to HPA, the second dosages for the Sinopharm vaccinations will be given after three to four weeks following the first dose. Two vaccination shots of the same type are required to effectively build immunity against the potentially fatal Covid-19 infection.
5,500 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine allocated to the Maldives through the COVAX facility will also be administered to special groups, such as children aged 16 and 17, along wth adults over 60 on long term medication for chronic illnesses. Adults between 18 and 60 who have undergone an organ transplant, require regular dialysis, have cancer and are on chemotherapy or radiotherapy, along with patients who require immunosuppressant drugs and have been on long term steroid medication will be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine. As the Pfizer vaccine must be refrigerated at -70 degrees, this vaccine will mostly be administered in the Greater Male' area based on pre-registration.
