1,187 Covid-19 cases reported on Wednesday, majority from backlog samples

Amid the deadliest month yet for Covid-19, Maldives reported an additional 1,187 new cases of Covid-19 between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reveal that a total of 1,187 new Covid-19 infections were detected nationwide between 6pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday. The past month has been the worst for Covid-19 in the Maldives since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, with the island nation reporting over 1,000 new infections every day in recent weeks.

Of the 1,187 new cases, 438 infections were detected over the past 24 hours between 18th and 19th May, with 749 infections corresponding to positive cases from backlog samples.

965 new Covid-19 infections were detected from the Male' area, with 214 new cases reported from inhabited islands, and six cases from operational resorts. Two additional Covid-19 infections were detected from liveaboard vessels.

Health authorities tested a total of 3,771 samples for the infection between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Maldives' total Covid-19 case tally is now 46,608, of which 18,843 are active cases.

By the end of Saturday, there were 274 people receiving in-hospital care for Covid-19 in Maldives. The island nation most recently having confirmed the 113th death linked to the infection since the pandemic first surfaced in the country in March 2020. HPA revealed the most recent death as the passing of a 36-year-old male from Nepal admitted at the Laamu Covid Management Facility, who died from Covid-19 complications at 2am on Thursday morning. Seven Covid-19 fatalities were reported in the Maldives on Wednesday.

A further 558 recoveries from the infection were reported on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recoveries observed for the infection in Maldives up to 29,644.

Covid-19 health and safety restrictions were eased across the densely-populated capital ahead of Ramazan and the Local Council and Women's Development Committee Elections, following which there has been a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases being reported in the capital. There has been increased police and military presence in the Male' City as the government cracks down on terrorists and violent extremism in the wake of an assassination attempt against former president and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed earlier this month.

Pandemic safety measures have been strengthened across the Maldives once more. HPA has also urged civil servants as well as those employed in private companies to work from home in order to slow the spread. Health authorities also recently extended the quarantine period for travel within islands to 14 days. In addition to this, Covid-19 health and safety measures enacted across the Maldives on May 3 have been extended for another week, including a 12-hour curfew in effective in the Greater Male' region.

2,969 active cases of Covid-19 have been detected from 105 islands outside of the Maldives capital thus far. Health authorities had earlier revealed discussions were underway on the possibilities of imposing a second lockdown in the Maldives' Covid-19 epicenter Male' City. By Wednesday, 60 islands across the country had been placed under monitoring due to Covid-19.

Public health authorities continue to stress the importance of following Covid-19 health and safety measures set to control transmission of the virus, including social distancing, avoiding public gatherings, maintaining hand hygiene and effective masking while outdoors.

Maldives has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year and the last extension is set to expire on June 3.