Maldives confirms lowest rise in daily Covid-19 cases in weeks

Maldives confirms lowest rise in daily Covid-19 cases after weeks of reporting high figures.

According to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), 55 new coronavirus infections alongside 63 additional recoveries were reported between 6pm Saturday and 6pm Sunday.

In the reporting period, the public health authority tested 4,150 samples for the virus, of which 10 returned positive from Maldives congested capital, Malé City, 37 returned positive from residential islands and eight from operational resorts.

This is the lowest figure reported on a daily basis, from atolls as well, at a time HPA revealed that the Covid-19 outbreak in residential islands outside of the capital, is worsening.

The country’s coronavirus case tally currently sits at 93,119, with this development.

Further, active cases dropped to 1,924 from the previous day’s 1,933, with hospital admissions remaining unchanged from the previous day, at 15.

The total number of recoveries confirmed nationwide has also risen to 90,924.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020 and since then, the death toll has risen to 258. The latest victim was identified as a Maldivian woman aged 80. Eight Covid-19 fatalities have been reported so far in December.

Maldives confirmed the first case of the new, more transmissible variant of Covid-19, ‘Omicron’ on December 5.

HPA highlighted that the first case of the new variant was confirmed through genome sequencing of a tourist that arrived in the Maldives from South Africa on November 21.

The public health authority urged caution over the confirmation of ‘Omicron’ in the Maldives, pushing the public to take the necessary precautions for their safety and for the safety of others and to pay special heed to the instructions and guidelines set forth by the authorities.

HPA stressed on the importance of adhering to safety measures to avoid another Covid-19 wave from hitting the Maldives and urged the public to provide their full support and cooperation in helping authorities curb the spread of the infection.

The public health authorities have urged the public to get their vaccination doses, adhere to guidelines set place in hosting events and gatherings and even in the work environment to prevent the risk of widespread infection.

This comes at a time the government imposed a ban on travel from seven countries in Africa recently, triggered by the threats ‘Omicron’. Travelers have been banned from South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Eswatini, including those who visited these countries 14 days before arriving into the Maldives, as well as those who transited in these countries for more than 12 hours.

Further, the announcement reads that those who have travelled to the Maldives after spending more than 14 days in these countries and over 12 hours in transit, must observe a quarantine period of 14 days.

These new measures have been implemented at a time President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has also revealed that there have been surging concerns regarding the more transmissible ‘Omicron’ SARS-CoV-2 variant.

Research indicates that those who have recovered from Covid-19 are at a high risk of contracting the new variant, dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year, since 12 March 2020. It was extended a 21st time to expire on December 30.