Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has authorised the use of Pfizer and Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccines in the Maldives.
The Pfizer vaccine is manufactured by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and German biotechnology company BioNTech SE. The vaccine was among the first to receive World Health Organisation (WHO)’s authorisation for emergency use across the world. Pfizer is being administered in several countries around the world.
Meanwhile, the Sinopharm vaccine is manufactured by China’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm. The vaccine has also been authorised for emergency use by WHO, and is being administered in multiple countries around the world.
Speaking at a press conference, Deputy Director General of MFDA Aishath Mohamed stated both vaccines have been authorised for use in the Maldives after carrying out extensive research into the safety of the vaccines. She noted the Sinopharm vaccine will be administered to people aged between 18 and 60, based on the studies carried out on the vaccine.
Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) had earlier revealed the Maldives has already received 18,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine. Meanwhile, China has also pledged to provide another 200,000 doses of the vaccine to the Maldives.
Maldives currently administers the Covishield vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) based on the formula developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. 200,000 doses of Covishield were granted to the Maldives by India, while another 12,000 doses of Covishield were granted by the COVAX Facility. HEOC states another 300,000 doses of Covishield will be purchased to the Maldives through SII.
HEOC also revealed the Maldives is set to receive 58,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine.