Maldives Receives 5k Doses Of Vaccines From The 100k Promised By The Chinese Government

Last week, the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, His Excellency Zhang Lizhong, confirmed the decision of the Chinese government to gift 100k doses of vaccines to the people of Maldives. It was further noted that the arrangement was under discussion to in order to ensure an early arrival.

It has now been confirmed by the Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) that Maldives have welcomed 5k vaccine doses from what was promised. The vaccine received was Sinopharm, developed by a Chinese state-owned company of the same name. This is an inactivated vaccine that works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response. According to Sinopharm, phase three trials of the vaccine showed that it was 79% effective whereas it has already been administered to nearly a million people in China under an emergency program. Furthermore, Sinopharm has been approved by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Nevertheless, the vaccine will only be administered in the Maldives after relevant investigations and the green light by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA).
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HEOC also further notes they are expecting to receive additional vaccine doses within this month, not just from China, but also through the efforts of the Government to secure vaccine doses.

Maldives commenced its vaccination drive against COVID-19 on 1^st February 2021, whereas over 20k people have been vaccinated so far.