Less than 100 daily Covid-19 cases reported for second consecutive day

Less than 100 daily coronavirus cases have been confirmed nationwide for a second consecutive day.

Latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reveal that 86 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed by sundown on Thursday.

HPA confirmed the new cases out of 5,127 samples collected between 6pm Wednesday and 6pm Thursday.

Thursday’s Covid-19 cases included 36 from outlying atolls, 34 from the Greater Malé Region and 16 from operational resorts.

Maldives Covid-19 case tally has been pushed to 83,248 with this development.

An additional 144 recoveries detected in the reporting period have pushed the total number of recoveries observed nationwide so far, to 81,234.

While the previous day’s active coronavirus case count was at 1,832, this dropped to 1,774 by sundown on Thursday.

Further, with the release of four Covid-19 patients admitted for further treatments, hospital admissions have dropped to 17.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. Since then, the death toll has been pushed to 228, with the latest and second death of the ongoing month reported on Thursday evening, when an 89-year-old Maldivian man succumbed to virus complications while being treated at the Covid Management Facility in Gaaf Dhaal atoll.

Maldives was faced by a fourth and more infectious coronavirus wave in early May, with cases rising to alarming levels at 1,000 on a daily basis. With the implementation of stricter measures, cases began declining once again, and authorities introduced further eases to restrictions in early July for the extensive government holidays.

Eases have been doubling with those that have completed both doses of Covid-19 vaccine allowed to travel domestically without the need to quarantine, with a negative PCR test result. HPA has since publicized a list of islands where the criteria for Covid-19 vaccination coverage conditions have been met.

The geographical advantage of being comprised of a scatter of islands initially enabled Maldives to keep tabs on the spread of coronavirus when the first few cases surfaced. Things spiraled out of control after a community transmission was detected in the congested capital on 15 April 2020 to which authorities responded by imposing an immediate lockdown.

Months later, authorities began easing the lockdown in phases, with cases going on a downward spiral. Things seemed to be in control until the new year rolled around and cases began spiraling once more. Since April 2020, authorities have been repeating a cycle of curfews, lockdowns, partial lockdowns and other restrictive measures in their successful efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year, since 12 March 2020. It was extended an 18th time to expire on October 1.