MALE - Maldives will receive 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine by July 20, local media reported Wednesday.

Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem told media on Tuesday that 200,000 doses out of 700,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine ordered from a Singaporean company will arrive in the country between July 12 and July 20.

Naseem said that a non-disclosure agreement had been reached with a Russian company to acquire doses of Sputnik V, while negotiations are ongoing to acquire more vaccine doses from the US.

The Maldives Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency approval to seven brands of COVID-19 vaccines including AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm, Pfizer, Sputnik V, Moderna and Janssen.

Maldives' vaccination program began on Feb 1. The country has so far administered 316,704 people with the first dose of a vaccine, while 189,529 have been administered with two doses.