Maldives has reported 304 new Covid-19 cases out of which 136 were confirmed from the congested capital, Greater Malé Region.

304 new Covid-19 cases and 129 additional recoveries were confirmed across the archipelago nation between 6pm Wednesday and 6pm Thursday, according to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

This is the first time in months Maldives has been confirming such high figures, after months of reporting low figures. It is also the fourth consecutive day Maldives has confirmed over 200 coronavirus cases.

A total of 4,395 samples were tested for the infection in the reporting period, of which 136 returned positive from the Greater Malé Region, 78 from residential islands outside the capital and 83 from operational resorts. HPA also confirmed from coronavirus case from a liveaboard vessel.

The public health authority went on to reveal that the location of six positive cases from Thursday remain undetermined.

Of the over 4,000 samples, 1,814 samples were tested across the capital, where the Covid-19 positivity remained at seven percent by sundown on Thursday.

With this development, the active coronavirus case count across the archipelago nation has risen to 2,908 from the previous day’s 2,734.

This means that Maldives Covid-19 case tally currently sits at 97,050.

The additional recoveries reported have pushed the total number of patients who have recovered from the virus so far across the nation to 93,865.

In the reporting period, hospital admissions remained unchanged at 13.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020 and since then, the death toll has risen to 264. The latest victim was identified as a 79-year-old Maldivian man who was pronounced dead by doctors early Thursday shortly after having been wheeled into the Emergency Room of Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). Two Covid-19 fatalities have been confirmed so far in January 2022.

Maldives confirmed the first case of the new, more transmissible variant of Covid-19, ‘Omicron’ on 5 December 2021. Since then, the public health authority has revealed that more cases have been surfacing.

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.

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).

At a time the caseload has been spiking, the island nation recently celebrated the New Year, where large groups of people thronged the capital’s suburbs and other regions to welcome the new year. It is to be noted that the caseload hiked following the New Year last year as well.

The public has been urged to get vaccinated, adhere to guidelines set place in hosting events and gatherings and even in the work environment to prevent the risk of widespread infection.

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for nearly two years now, since 12 March 2020. It was extended a 22nd time to expire on January 29.