Male’, Maldives – The Minister of Health of Maldives Ahmed Naseem has revealed that the vaccine shipment to be received through World Health Organization (WHO), will be received within this month.
Answering questions by the press after inaugurating the national vaccination program against Covid-19, Minister Naseem reassured that the public need not worry about the vaccine and that the program will only conclude after the entire population living in the Maldives is vaccinated.
He further detailed that additional doses of the vaccine are to arrive within this month, specifying that, “The WHO vaccine will start arriving by 14th or 15th of this month. And the vaccines for which Maldives has made payments, will hopefully be here by March.”
As per the Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC), Maldives has currently received 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca product, Covishield, which was made in collaboration with Oxford University. Additionally, Maldives is set to receive vaccines enough to vaccinate 20 percent of the population of the country, through the WHO endorsed Covax facility, along with 700,000 more doses, via an agreement which Maldives has made with AstraZeneca company, which are set to arrive during this month, and in March respectively.
The Covishield vaccine, which has proven to be effective following multiple studies worldwide, has been administered in many countries so far – something which Minister Naseem also highlighted today.
Working towards helping this country come out of this pandemic is the individual responsibility of every Maldivian. Vaccination is the best path for this.
Ahmed Naseem, Minister of Health of Maldives
During the national vaccination program which was initiated today, health care workers in Kulhudhuffushi City and Addu City also received the vaccine. According to Minister Naseem, the aim is to vaccinate 10,000 individuals everyday, and that the program would be initiated in other islands of the country shortly.
Many top government officials, as well as several other high profile individuals from various fields also received the vaccination, summing the individuals who received the vaccination, other than health care workers to a little over 30.
While health care workers are to receive the inoculation first, high risk individuals are to follow on the priority list, while children below the age of 18 and pregnant women will not be receiving the vaccine as of now.
