The Wait Is Over, Maldives Kicked Off Its COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Against The Coronavirus This Morning!

With renewed hope, the Maldivian government has kicked it off COVID-19 vaccination earlier this morning as its greatest steps towards overcoming the pandemic. In this regard, a vaccine roll-out launch function was held at the Social Center, where selected people were vaccinated.

Maldives will be using Oxford AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India which was extended to us by the Government of India. The first shipment consisted of 100k doses. This is an intramuscular injection that will be sufficient to inoculate 50k people; two-doses each which must be administered in between a gap of 4 to 12 weeks. The COVISHIELD vaccine shows an efficiency between 90% to 62% and has been approved for emergency use by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA)

The first Maldivian to receive the vaccine shot was a frontline hero, Dr. Shiraanee Abdul Raheem. She is a Resident Doctor at Indhir Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) who is the longest serving medical officer at the Hulhumale’ Medical Facility, a designated COVID-19 center. Following this, a nurse who worked at the same facility was vaccinated and next, a diabetes patient.

The next three were the heads of the three executive branches of the State of Maldives: President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Parliament’s Speaker Mr. Mohamed Nasheed and Chief Justice Ahmed Muhthasim Adnan. Then inoculated were selected government ministers, frontline health and social care workers, high-risk persons and the elderly and frontline essential workers.

Vaccination drive has also simultaneously begun in the cities; Addu & Kulhudhuhfushi.

Speaking at the vaccine roll-out launch function, the President notes that his administration aims to vaccinate everyone who resides in Maldives within the next six months. Accordingly, the government plans on acquiring enough vaccines to expand Maldives’ COVID-19 vaccine drive to all islands and administer shots to 10k people per day. Whilst the island will be receiving vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) on 14^th February, we will also be receiving 700k doses from AstraZeneca in March.