Japan today, has donated 112,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid19 Vaccines to the Maldives. In a ceremony held for the event at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the donation was accepted by Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem, from Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai.
The donation is part of Japan’s worldwide initiative titled ‘Last One Mile Support’ which is facilitated under the World Health Organization COVAX facility. This is the fourth COVAX allocation to the Maldives.
The ceremony was attended by Foreign Secretary, members of the UN, UNICEF, and WHO, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Maldives National Defence Force, and Embassy of Japan in Maldives.
Speaking on the occasion, Health Minister Naseem thanked the continued support from the Government of Japan to the Maldives since the onset of the pandemic. Donations have not only been made as vaccines, but also as medical equipment, medical supplies and other assistance. Ambassador Yanai also shared her sentiments, highlighting the historic ties between the two nations and reiterated on efforts to maintain it so.
The vaccine donations are an additional boost to the Government’s initiative to fully vaccinate the entire eligible population of the Maldives.