The Maldives’s government is ramping up preparations to bring the COVID-19 vaccines to the country and also formed a National Steering Committee for the purpose of coordination in this regard, Sun news reported. 

The Maldives could start receiving vaccines in the first quarter of next year, said Dr Nazla Rafeeq, spokesperson of the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC), in a press briefing on Thursday. 

She said, currently a total of four vaccines have been observed which are effective against the virus and we will start administering the doses as soon as we receive it. 

The government has already started working on proposed Covax facilities, preparations of cold chains, and procuring the necessary equipment for the purpose, informed Dr Nazla Rafeeq. 

She also informed that around twenty percent of the population in the country could be vaccinated for free.  

Dr. Nazla Mushtafa, a member of HEOC’s Technical Advisory Board, warned the public to take extreme precautions, saying another outbreak could affect vaccination efforts by disrupting and distracting national resources. 

The Maldives’ capital Male is the biggest epicenter of coronavirus infections in the country. Currently, the country has 12889 Covid cases, of which 1126 are still active.