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Preparations ongoing to resume rollout of second dose of Covishield in the atolls

Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has revealed preparations are ongoing to resume the rollout of the second dose of the Covishield vaccine in the atolls.

Speaking at a press conference held by HEOC, Senior Public Health Programme Officer Fathimath Ana noted the administration of the second dose of the Covishield vaccine has resumed in the Greater Male’ Region on July 4. She stated preparations are ongoing to resume the rollout of the second dose in the atolls, noting the transport of vaccines to the atolls are underway.

Speaking further, Ana said arrangements are also being made to reduce congestion in vaccination centres, by allowing for online appointments. Noting some people have been receiving rejection messages while trying to get appointments, Ana said this is mainly caused by entering a wrong ID card number or entering the identification details erroneously. She also noted appointments are currently open for those who received their first dose during February and March, and therefore appointments would be rejected for those who received their first dose since April.

The COVID-19 vaccination programme commenced in the Maldives on February 1. As per the latest statistics, 55.87% of the population have received the first dose of the vaccine, while 35.15% have completed both doses.