Maldives has reported the island nation's 100th Covid-19 fatality on Monday, with three additional deaths linked to the virus the day before as the country battles an overwhelming fourth wave of infections.
In a tweet posted early on Monday, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed the 100th Covid-19 fatality in the Maldives as a 56-year-old Maldivian female who had been admitted at Dharumavantha Hospital for Covid-19 treatment. She was pronounced dead at 4:41am on Monday morning.
This is the second Covid-19 fatality to be reported on Monday. Authorities also confirmed the 99th Covid-19 victim in the Maldives as a 64-year-old local who had passed away just past midnight on Monday.
The pandemic has claimed 51 lives in the Maldives during 2021, 27 of which have been reported thus far in May. This is the highest number of deaths to have been reported in a month since the pandemic first surfaced in the Maldives last year.
Authorities had earlier stressed that Covid-19 fatalities had doubled in count since January 2021. As such, while four deaths were observed in January, the number increased to 10 during February. Six Covid-19 fatalities were reported during March as well as April.
With an alarming spike in case count over the past few days, hospitalizations are also increasing in comparison to the past month. Currently there are 262 Covid-19 patients hospitalized for treatment across the country.
Maldives active Covid-19 tally is currently at 15,958 with over 44,523 infections having been confirmed nationwide since the arrival of the pandemic in March 2020. Authorities have imposed strict measures in the capital region as well as in outlying atolls in light of the spiking cases, and have stressed the importance of following Covid-19 health and safety measures in order to prevent further loss of life.