With six more deaths linked to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in the Maldives, the country’s death toll has risen to 111.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) continues to report alarming numbers of Covid-19 fatalities across the Maldives, as the country struggles to control a devastating surge in daily infections being reported over recent weeks.

HPA reported the 106th Covid-19 victim early Wednesday, when an 87-year-old man was pronounced dead at 01:54am while receiving treatment for the infection at Laamu Covid Management Facility.

A few hours later another patient seeking treatment at the Laamu Covid Management Facility passed away. Doctors pronounced the 69-year-old woman dead at 03:01am, declaring her the 107th Covid-19 victim.

The 108th death was reported at 7:25am after a 73-year-old man brought to the Emergency Room of Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) was pronounced dead by doctors.

A little over an hour later a woman admitted at Hulhumalé Medical Facility succumbed to Covid-19 complications at 08:30am. She was aged 63 and is the 110th Covid-19 victim. The 109th Covid-19 victim was identified a few minutes later, when another man, a 51-year-old Indian national was pronounced dead at 08:44am while being treated at the Hulhumalé Medical Facility.

Further HPA reported the death of a 66-year-old man admitted at Hulhumalé Medical Facility a little past 11am as well. The 111th Covid-19 fatality was reported by doctors at 09:48am.

The six new deaths include five Maldivians and an Indian national.

Maldives is currently experiencing a devastating Covid-19 peak like never observed before, with daily infections soaring above 1,000 over recent days.

The pandemic has claimed 62 lives in the Maldives during 2021, 38 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 began sweeping across the island nation on 7 March 2020.

Authorities 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 268 Covid-19 patients hospitalized for treatment. There have been increasing concern over hospital beds filling up across the Maldives capital, hit hardest by the pandemic.

Maldives active Covid-19 tally is currently at 18,221 with over 47,000 infections having been confirmed nationwide. Authorities have imposed strict measures in the capital region as well as in outlying atolls in light of the spiking cases. As such, a 12-hour curfew is effective in Maldives capital from 4pm to 4am in authorities' efforts to slow the spread of the deadly infection.