MVR 69 Million to be Spent on Vaccine: Ameer

Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, on behalf of the government, revealed that MVR 69 million (USD 4.5 million) will be spent on 900,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Minister Ameer informed Mihaaru News that although the government signed agreements with several foreign entities to acquire 900,000 doses of the vaccine, vaccines have also been provided as free aid, and the government has now spent MVR 40 million (USD 2.6 million) to obtain the amount agreed upon.

"Our contract value is around USD 4.5 million", he mentioned. Maldives signed its first agreement to obtain vaccines from Singaporean company AstraZeneca. Despite the government's claims that 500,000 doses from AstraZeneca will arrive within the month, all the dates previously provided have been inaccurate.

The Ministry of Health declared that Maldives is using Pfizer and China's Sinopharm vaccine, and will soon receive Russia's Sputnik vaccine. While 44 percent of the population that is required to be vaccinated have received both doses, 200,000 people have completed both doses, and 300,000 people have gotten the first dose.