Despite receiving enough Pfizer vaccine to administer booster doses to the bulk of the population, the Maldives has delayed providing the booster dose due to a global syringe supply shortage, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.
The Maldives got 100,620 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United States via the COVAX facility to begin giving booster doses.
In the Maldives, the booster dose is currently being provided to frontline health workers, those over the age of 50, and individuals with compromised immune systems.
The HPA had previously stated the booster dose will be distributed to more people by mid-December.
But the HPA today indicated it is facing difficulty owing to a global shortage of syringes, and that a definitive date for starting booster doses would be announced after the syringes arrive and all preparations are done.
The HPA stated that they will continue to administer booster doses to people who fall within the current categories.
According to official statistics, 496 booster doses were delivered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 22,093 people.
