Maldives total Covid-19 case count has risen to 85,465 with 71 new cases reported by sundown on Saturday.

According to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the new cases were confirmed through the 3,842 samples tested between 6pm Friday and 6pm Saturday.

Saturday’s cases included 43 detected from residential islands outside the congested capital of the Maldives, Malé City where 22 new cases were confirmed and six persons in operational resorts also tested positive.

HPA reported an additional 145 patients to have made full recoveries over the reporting period, with which the total number of recoveries observed nationwide so far has been pushed to 83,954.

Within the past 24 hours, active coronavirus cases dropped further to 1,264 from the previous day’s 1,339.

Two more patients were released from hospitals by sundown on Saturday, which means that there are 13 patients currently receiving in-hospital treatment.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. Since then, the death toll has been pushed to 234. The latest fatality was confirmed on Saturday morning when a 72-year-old Maldivian woman being treated at Hulhumalé Medical Facility succumbed to complications of the virus.

Coronavirus cases being reported over recent weeks have been declining significantly, with 494 infections having been reported in the past week.

The highest rise in daily infections this past week was on Tuesday where daily cases were at 91, with the lowest figure having been recorded on Friday at 46.

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.

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 continues to practice caution as the pandemic is far from being controlled, despite declining numbers in recent months. For over a month, the country has been free from further restrictions in the face of the pandemic, however, the authorities continue to remind the public to be vigilant as the country heads down the road to full recovery from the impacts of Covid-19. Although life is far from reaching normal yet, the government's resilience to vaccinate the entire nation has revived hopes of eases from further burden, in the new normal.

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year, since 12 March 2020. It was extended a 19th time to expire on October 31.