Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has authorised the use of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in the Maldives.
MFDA authorised the AstraZeneca vaccine for restricted use in an emergency situation. The vaccine is authorised to be administered to individuals over the age of 18.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc, is manufactured and sold under two different brand names. The first brand is Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), which was the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorised and used in the Maldives. The second brand is Vaxzevria, also known as COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, which was the latest to be authorised for use in the Maldives.
Ministry of Health had earlier revealed the Maldivian government is in the process of purchasing 700,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The health ministry said the vaccines are expected to arrive in the Maldives later this month.
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is the seventh brand of COVID-19 vaccine approved by MFDA to be used in the Maldives. Other vaccines authorised by MFDA are Covishield, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Sputnik V, Moderna and Janssen vaccines. However, the Maldives is currently only administering Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines.