Over 80 percent of the Maldives' population has been immunized against COVID-19.
During a press conference held by the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) on Tuesday, State Minister of Health Shah Mahir shared information on the Maldives' COVID-19 vaccine campaign. He said that majority of the population had received the two doses of the vaccine.
Urging those who still remain unvaccinated to get their shots, Shah said the information available thus far indicates that those vaccinated get protection against the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. An extra booster shot would increase immunity by 80 percent, he said.
The minister further urged the public to practice preventive measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.
The latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show 368,238 people have received both doses of the vaccine while 27,762 people have received an extra booster dose. Health authorities are preparing to begin administering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the general public.
