HPA begins issuing online tokens for second Covishield shot

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced the decision to begin issuing limited online tokens for people in the Maldivian capital who wish to receive their second Covishield shot, starting this Monday.

HPA made the decision to begin appointment-based administration of the second Covishield shot upon receiving a shipment of the vaccine from an anonymous donor last Saturday. The agency previously stated that appointments will be issued based on the order people received their first shot.

HPA announced on Monday that it will also be issuing a limited number of online tokens for people who wish to receive their second Covishield shot in the greater Male' region.

Online tokens this Monday are available for people who received their first shot between February 1-March 15.

The second Covishield shot will be administered in four vaccination centers in the greater Male’ region this Monday. They are:

• Social Center (200 tokens in the morning, 200 tokens in the afternoon)
• Islamic Center (200 tokens in the morning, 200 tokens in the afternoon)
• National Art Gallery (70 tokens in the morning, 70 tokens in the afternoon)
• Hulhumale’ Vaccination Center (120 tokens in the morning, 120 tokens in the afternoon)

The vaccination centers will open at 10:00 am, and again at 01:00 pm. Tokens will be issued one hour prior to the opening hours (at 09:00 am and 12:00 pm) via QueueBee app.

Maldives launched its national COVID-19 vaccination campaign with Covishield back in February, but had to halt mass Covishield vaccinations in May after the vaccine producer, India, suspended its export following the deterioration of its domestic virus situation. It has left thousands unable to get fully vaccinated.

HPA has announced that appointments for the second Covishield shot will be issued based on the date the first shot was administered, and that those who received the first shot earlier will be prioritized.

Though HPA initially set the gap between Covishield two doses at maximum eight weeks, but later revised the gap to six months.