Covid-19 new cases top 100 for second day; total tally now over 15,000

The number of new daily Covid-19 cases reported in the Maldives has topped 100 for the second day in a row, with Monday’s 109 new cases pushing the nation's total Covid-19 tally above the 15,000-case mark.

Statistics released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that out of the total of 390,396 samples tested for Covid-19 this far, 4,685 samples were tested between 6PM Sunday and 6PM Monday.

78 out of the 109 new cases reported on Monday were from the Greater Male' Region, 11 from inhabited islands and 20 from operational resorts.

With this, a total of 15,102 people have tested positive for the infection in Maldives thus far.

An additional 35 people recovered from Covid-19 on Monday, pushing the number of total recoveries reported in the country to 13,884.

While the Maldives currently records 1,160 active cases of Covid-19, 87 patients are receiving in-hospital care for the infection, which is seven more than the previous day.

On Sunday evening, health authorities confirmed the 51st death from Covid-19 in the country, when an 86-year-old local man passed away while being treated for the virus on the 11th floor of Dharumavantha hospital.

Authorities have been voicing concerns of carelessness on behalf of the public in adhering to Covid-19 health and safety rules, noting that some people were declining to wear masks and choosing to host large events and gatherings at a time the number of new Covid-19 cases being reported daily are on the rise. While authorities are bracing for a possible third-wave, citizens are advised to practice caution to avoid a worst-case scenario that could overwhelm the healthcare system and ultimately result in further deaths.

Last week, Maldives received a shipment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccines as manufactured by the Serum Institute of India as part of a grant aid program between the two nations. The vaccines are currently pending approval from the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). However, Minister of State for Health Dr. Shah Abdulla has confirmed that there is full guarantee that authorities will approve the vaccine. Speaking at an appearance on Raajje TV's "Fala Surukhee" programme, Dr. Shah said that the vaccines received by Maldives was made using the same formula developed by Oxford University, and that it was just a matter of time before WHO gave the official greenlight which would allow the Maldivian government to finally administer the vaccine to people.