MALE, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives has administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to over 100,000 people, local media quoting the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reported here Sunday.

"We thank the public, health care workers, volunteers and everyone who made this possible," the HPA announced on Twitter on Saturday.

According to HPA data, 105,492 people have been vaccinated, including 72,872 people in the capital region of Greater Male and 32,620 in the country's atolls.

The Maldives has a total population of around 557,426 people, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), meaning that about 19 percent of the population have received the first of two vaccine doses.

The Maldives began vaccinations on Feb. 1 and has procured 1.1 million doses of vaccines, enabling it to inoculate almost the entirety of its population in the next few months.

The country has been predominantly using the Covishield vaccine based on the Oxford AstraZeneca formula and produced by the Serum Institute of India.

All residents who are above 25 years old, or in a high-risk category between 18 and 25, including non-nationals and undocumented migrants, are eligible for free vaccinations.

According to HPA data updated on Saturday, the Maldives has 19,597 confirmed cases, out of which 17,132 have fully recovered and 61 have died. Enditem

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