The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has halted administering the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccination across Maldives capital.

The public health authority revealed that they have temporarily halted administering the India-sourced vaccinations and that they remain undecided on when to resume vaccination.

This comes at a time there have been reports that the government has run out of the Covishield stock sourced from the neighboring country, however, HPA refutes these claims.

The Covid-19 situation in India recently worsened and the country is struggling to control the wide spreading infection, which has killed a record number of citizens in India. Despite India’s struggle, the Maldivian government has assured their reaffirmation that vaccination supply with continue.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched the “Covid-19 Dhifaau” inoculation drive on February 1 with the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccinations produced by India’s Serum Institute. After temporarily discontinuing the first round of vaccinations on March 15, the public health authorities resumed administering the first doses of vaccination on March 22 with the Sinopharm vaccination. HPA began administering the second Covishield vaccination doses on April 3 and the second doses of Sinopharm are also being administered currently for those who have completed four weeks since receiving the first jab.

5,500 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine allocated to the Maldives through the COVAX facility is also being administered to special groups, such as children aged 16 and 17, along with 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. HPA has urged those who registered for the vaccine to turn up for their scheduled appointments as there is a limited stock of the Pfizer vaccines.

Maldives is using the Oxford AstraZeneca Covishield vaccination, Sinopharm as well as Pfizer vaccines in its inoculation programme.