Ministry of Health has announced its decision to distribute the AstraZeneca Covishield COVID-19 vaccine within a six-month window, in accordance with the new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation.
Maldives Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (MTAGI) has approved individuals to obtain the second dose of the Covishield vaccine within six months after receiving the first dose. The decision was made in accordance with the new WHO recommendation in response to many countries not being able to receive new batches of the Covishield vaccine.
Maldives began its COVID-19 vaccination programme on February 1 with the first 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccine donated by the Government of India. A large part of the Maldivian population has now received the first dose of the Covishield vaccine. However, Health Protection Agency (HPA) suspended the rollout of Covishield due to decreasing stocks of the vaccine in the Maldives.
The health ministry revealed that the Maldives has been unable to receive a new batch of the vaccine due to difficulties in its production in India after the surge in COVID-19 cases in the neighbouring country. The ministry said a new batch of the Covishield vaccine will be arriving in the Maldives from Thailand later this month.