Male’, Maldives – Health Minister of Maldives, Ahmed Naseem has discussed with the World Health Organization (WHO) about bringing the Covid-19 vaccine to Maldives.
The discussion was held via a phone call today, where the WHO office in Maldives contacted the Director General of WHO and the Director General of the South East Asia Region of WHO to discuss about when the Covid-19 vaccine can be brought to Maldives.
The spokesperson of Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) and the leader of the Covid task force in Maldives, Dr. Nazla Rafeeg recently informed that the agreement presented by “COVAX”, the group created to bring a Covid-19 vaccine to Maldives, to provide enough vaccine for 20 percent of the Maldivian population has been accepted.
Although the type of vaccine will be brought to Maldives has not been decided yet, Nazla informed that they are working on bringing the vaccine as soon as possible. However, she mentioned that the team is hoping to start the Covid-19 vaccination program during the first quarter of 2021.
While 17 percent of the Covid-19 vaccine the country will receive through COVAX is planned to give to the citizens above the age of 50 or the Covid-19 patients who are at high risk, the remaining 3 percent of the Covid-19 vaccines will be given to the people who are indirectly and directly treating the infected patients and to those who are treating the patients at high risk.
HEOC informed that in addition to these people, they will also be focusing on giving the vaccine to frontliners, disabled people, care workers at children’s care centers and nursing homes.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had also declared that all the residents in Maldives will receive the Covid-19 vaccine for free and that no payments are required to get the vaccine.
