Maldives to donate surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to neighbors

Maldives has made the decision to donate surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to neighboring countries. 

President’s Office spokesperson Mohamed Mabrook Azeez told Sun on Thursday afternoon that the decision was made to assist neighboring countries combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Maldives made the decision to donate because the country received more vaccine doses than needed for the population,” he said. 

Maldives is set to send surplus vaccine doses to Bangladesh and Nepal. Each country will be sent over 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

The 201,600 doses to Bangladesh have been handed over to the Bangladesh High Commission in Male’. 

The agreement pertaining to the donation was signed by Maldivian Health Minister Ahmed Naseem and Bangladeshi High Commissioner Rear Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan last Wednesday. 

Bangladeshi media reports the vaccine doses will be sent to Dhaka on a Qatar Airways flight on Friday. 

Maldives had procured AstraZeneca vaccine from a Singapore, and had also received donations through the COVAX facility and from foreign governments, companies and well-wishers.