2,707 more Covid-19 cases push Maldives case tally to 120,168

The country’s total Covid-19 case count has surpassed the 120,000-mark.

According to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), 2,707 new Covid-19 cases and 1,622 additional recoveries were confirmed between 6pm Sunday and 6pm Monday.

Of the over 2,000 new infections, 1,420 were detected from the congested capital, 761 across residential islands outside of the capital, 94 from operational resorts and three from a liveaboard vessel.

A total of 7,681 samples were tested for the infection in the reporting period, of which 4,273 samples were collected across the capital, where the Covid-19 positivity rate sat at 33 percent by sundown on Monday. HPA is yet to determine the location of 429 positive cases confirmed in the reporting period.

This means that the country’s active Covid-19 cases have hiked to 15,721 from the previous day’s 14,636.

With this development, Maldives Covid-19 case tally has been pushed to 120,168.

The public health authority also revealed that the additional recoveries reported on Monday pushed the total number of patients who have recovered from the virus across the country to 104,164.

Five more patients were hospitalized in the reporting period, with which hospital admissions rose to 52.

This is the 20th consecutive day Maldives has been reporting alarming daily figures.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020 and since then, the death toll has risen to 270. The latest victim was reported on January 23, with the death of a 42-year-old Maldivian woman who was being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of Hulhumalé Medical Facility. Eight Covid-19 fatalities have been confirmed so far this year.

Although Maldives had maintained the Covid-19 caseload at low daily figures across the capital region in recent months, cases across the capital have been spiking recently. The caseload across the capital has been spiking since New Year’s. Due to this, HPA recently tightened safety measures across the Greater Malé Region.

As such, gatherings, events and parties with more than 50 persons are disallowed, with those hosting such gatherings cautioned to follow the guidelines set by the authority. In addition, night and city markets have been prohibited, with sports activities closed off to the public as well. In addition to this, those traveling from the capital region will be required to present negative PCR certification valid 72 hours prior if they have passed 14 days since completing both doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

Further, those who have not completed their vaccine shots will be required to undergo a mandatory quarantine period of 14 days and will only be released upon a negative PCR result.

The public health authority revealed that sample collection centers will be open at Social Center, Villimalé and Hulhumalé.

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.

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.

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 nearly two years now, since 12 March 2020. It was extended a 22nd time to expire on January 29.