Government of the Maldives has announced the decision to sign an agreement with AstraZeneca Singapore to procure COVID-19 vaccines to the Maldives.
In a statement released to announce the special exemption to the state procurement policies under Public Finance Regulations, Ministry of Finance said the government has decided to procure enough vaccines to vaccinate the entire population of the Maldives. The finance ministry said the vaccines will be procured through AstraZeneca Singapore, noting an agreement will be signed between the company and the Maldivian government.
The ministry said exemptions have been applied to the state procurement policies to procure the COVID-19 vaccines to the Maldives, as the vaccines are only available through limited sources and are being issued around the world under special procurement policies.
The vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Oxford can be stored under normal temperatures, unlike some of the other COVID-19 vaccines which are being introduced to the market. Therefore, many countries have expressed that this vaccine is currently the best option for a mass rollout.
Meanwhile, Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has revealed efforts are underway to develop cold storages to store and maintain COVID-19 vaccines in the Maldives. HEOC said the areas for the development of cold storages in Male’ and the atolls have now been allocated. HEOC has also stated it is working with World Health Organisation (WHO) in procuring the walk-in freezers, cold rooms and coolers required for the cold storages.
The government had earlier announced the decision to begin COVID-19 vaccination in the Maldives in the first quarter of 2021. It was revealed that the Maldives will receive free COVID-19 vaccines for 20% of the population through the COVAX Facility, which was established to guarantee fair and equitable access to the vaccine for every country in the world. HEOC revealed 3% from that said percentage is allocated for frontline workers, while the remaining 17% is allocated for people aged 50 and above and for patients seeking treatment for long term diseases.