Health Protection Agency (HPA) has begun administering the Pfizer vaccine to students aged 12 to 17 and other eligible individuals.
The US Government has donated around 128,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to the Maldives through the COVAX facility. The Pfizer vaccine is to be administered to five groups of eligible individuals including students aged 12 to 17.
In addition, eligible individuals include those who have a low immune system, pregnant women, individuals who suffered severe side effects from Covishield and Sinopharm vaccines, and students studying in countries that only accept the Pfizer vaccine. Unvaccinated pregnant women will receive the Pfizer vaccine and pregnant women who received the first dose of Covishield will receive either the Pfizer vaccine or the AstraZeneca vaccine, stated HPA.
Of the eligible individuals with low immune systems, HPA will prioritise administering vaccines to individuals who have undergone transplants, cancer patients, individuals who have been prescribed immunosuppressant drugs or steroids, and dialysis patients.
Ministry of Education and schools have begun the programme to vaccinate students. The education ministry stated there are around 40,000 students eligible for vaccination.
Speaking to PSM News, State Minister of Education Dr. Abdulla Rasheed said the schools will provide information on how to receive the vaccines to parents and students and that the aim is to vaccinate all eligible students by the end of the month. Deputy Minister of Education Ahmed Mujahid said all the schools have received the necessary amount of vaccine doses and that students will not have to wait in queues.