Daily Covid-19 cases being reported see decline, recoveries continue to surge

Maldives has reported the lowest rise in daily Covid-19 cases, as recoveries from the infection continue to surge.

79 new coronavirus infections were confirmed nationwide by sundown on Monday, according to the latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA.

These were confirmed through 3,983 samples collected for testing between 6pm Sunday and 6pm Monday.

As such, the new cases included 42 detected from residential islands, 26 from the Greater Malé Region and 11 from operational resorts.

Maldives Covid-19 case tally has topped 83,655 with this development.

Further, with 133 additional recoveries confirmed by sundown on Monday, the total number of recoveries observed nationwide so far have been pushed to 81,804.

Over the past 24 hours, the country’s active coronavirus case count dropped to 1,609 from the previous day’s 1,663.

Two more Covid-19 patients were hospitalized for treatment within the reporting period, with which hospital admissions have risen to 23.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. Since then, the death toll has been pushed to 229, with the latest deaths reported over the past 24 hours, when an 89-year-old Maldivian man succumbed to virus complications while being treated at the Covid Management Facility in Gaaf Dhaal atoll, followed by the death of an 87-year-old local male.

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.

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.