Maldives active Covid-19 cases have reached 1,961.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) through its latest figures revealed that 109 new coronavirus infections and 128 additional recoveries were reported between 6pm Wednesday and 6pm Thursday.
Healthcare authorities tested 3,518 samples for the virus in the reporting period, of which 84 returned positive from residential islands outside of the congested capital, Greater Malé Region where 17 new cases were confirmed. Eight Covid-19 cases were detected from operational resorts as well.
Maldives active Covid-19 cases dropped from 1,981 in the reporting period and currently sits at 1,961.
With this development, Maldives Covid-19 case tally has been pushed to 88,386 by sundown on Thursday.
Further, with the additional recoveries, the total number of recoveries confirmed nationwide thus far has risen to 86,168.
Hospital admissions dropped to 27 with six patients released from hospitals in the reporting period.
Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020 and since then, the death toll has risen to 245. The latest victim was reported when an 87-year-old local woman died from complications while receiving treatment at Addu Covid Management Facility, on Friday morning. This is the second Covid-19 fatality reported in November and comes a day after the first victim was reported.
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 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 has been extended a 20th time to expire on November 30.
