HEOC warns to remain cautious as number of new cases drop

The Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) said they had noticed a carelessness on behalf of the public in adhering to Covid-19 health and safety regulations as the number of new cases being reported in the Maldives decrease.

Speaking to the press, a Technical Advisor for HEOC Dr. Ahmed Shaheed said that some of the more developed countries in the world had been forced to reinstate lockdowns as the virus continues to spread aggressively, and that concerns were at an all-time high following the discovery of a more virulent variant of Covid-19 last month.

He added that healthcare systems in some countries had reached the overload with some hospitals being forced to stop elective procedures and non-emergency care to treat the heavy influx of patients with Covid-19. Dr. Shaheed said that this was the worst-case scenario that authorities and healthcare workers had been trying to prevent since the discovery of the first case in Maldives, and that combined efforts had resulted in the nation going through a second peak without having to re-instate lockdown.

Dr. Shaheed also acknowledged the public support for and adherence to the health and safety regulations put in place, saying that caution had helped bring down the number of new cases being reported across the country, and encouraged citizens to not be careless so that the Covid-19 virus could remain contained.

In addition to this, Dr. Shaheed stressed the importance of quickly getting tested for Covid-19 if an individual is experiencing symptoms of the virus, saying that the reason many people do not get tested is because they do not have apparent symptoms. He said that people might not get tested as they disregard a light cough, fevers and sore throats as normal colds.

Describing a scenario where the number of new cases being reported does increase, Dr. Shaheed said that there would not be much danger for low-risk individuals, but that a widespread community transmission could result in multiple fatalities. He said that the elderly and people receiving treatment for other health complications experience an elevated risk for a fatal infection, and urged the public to be attentive and do their part as individuals.