Over 111,000 people in the Maldives have received the initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The archipelago of about 550,000 people began its national COVID-19 vaccine drive on February 1.

The Maldives is currently using the Covishield vaccine manufactured by India’s Serum Institute of India under a special license granted by AstraZeneca. The vaccine has two doses.

The Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) said around 111,415 people have received the first dose of the vaccine so far. This number is equivalent to a quarter of the country’s entire population, they added.