Maldives has confirmed the deaths of eight Covid-19 patients on Monday alone.

Early Monday the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that an 81-year-old man who was receiving in-hospital treatment after being rushed to the Emergency Room of Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), passed away at around 02:02am.

He was the 130th Covid-19 victim reported in the island nation. After sundown on Sunday HPA confirmed four more Covid-19 fatalities, all Maldivian men.

The 131st victim was a 58-year-old man who was receiving treatment at Hulhumalé Medical Facility when he passed away at 4:25am.

HPA confirmed the 132nd victim a little over an hour earlier at 03:18am, he was a 77-year-old admitted at Hulhumalé Medical Facility.

A 93-year-old man at Hulhumalé Medical Facility passed away at 6:55am, he was identified as the 133rd victim followed by an 85-year-old man who died at 7:44am, making him the 134th victim.

Additionally, a 78-year-old man also seeking treatment at Hulhumalé Medical Facility passed away at 2:25pm on Monday, marking him as the 135th Covid-19 victim.

Two more deaths were reported since, a 78-year-old woman and an 87-year-old man, the latter was admitted at Hinnavaru Health Center. He passed away at around 11:05am and the woman passed away at 2:50pm.

Maldives Covid-19 tally has been pushed to 137 with this development.

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. 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 88 lives in the Maldives during 2021, 64 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 294 Covid-19 patients hospitalized for treatment. There has been increasing concern over hospital beds filling up across the Maldives capital, hit hardest by the pandemic.

Maldives active Covid-19 tally is currently over 23,000 with the country’s total case count exceeding the 55,000-mark. Authorities have imposed strict measures in the capital region as well as in outlying atolls in light of the spiking cases. As such authorities strengthened measures to be effective from Wednesday onwards. The curfew period has been extended from 4pm to 8am and individuals will only be allowed to go out, outside of the curfew hours under a special permit.