Health Protection Agency (HPA) statistics show 118 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country on Friday, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in Maldives up to 15,614 as new cases top 100 for the sixth day in a row.

Of the 118 new cases, 87 were confirmed from the Male' area, 21 from inhabited islands, and 10 cases from resorts. With Friday's cases, a total of 15,614 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the Maldives thus far, with the number of active cases increasing by 82 to 1,492 between Thursday and Friday.

Health authorities tested 2,902 samples for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours; with this, a total of 403,645 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in the country as of 6pm on Friday.

An additional 36 recoveries from Covid-19 were observed on Friday, bringing the total number of successful virus recoveries recorded in the country to 14,064. 51 deaths due to Covid-19 related health complications have been confirmed in the country, with the most recent death occurring earlier this week on Sunday.

Spokesperson for the Health Emergency Operations Center Dr. Nazla Rafeeq revealed that health authorities had been closely observing the trend for the spread of Covid-19 within Maldivian communities.

She said that aside from the number of new cases being reported, authorities were monitoring the positivity rate being recorded in flu clinics along with infections being discovered through active surveillance and voluntary sampling, in addition to independent cases, and that the goal would be to control a potential third peak without having to lockdown parts of the country if possible.

Referring to the Covid-19 immunization programs to be conducted within the next few months, Dr. Nazla said that effective rollout of vaccines would only be achieved if the spread of the virus could be controlled. Dr. Nazla further said that restrictions were being adjusted based on the situation and the degree of transmission being observed for the virus; those entering the Male' area from abroad are now required to quarantine for ten days, with stricter measures also having been enacted for domestic travel between islands.

Dr. Nazla further assured that health authorities were working to balance easing of restrictions to allow essential business and government operations, and also making committed efforts to safeguard the health and safety of those living in the Maldives from Covid-19.

Health Protection Agency has now established voluntary sampling stations in Male', and have issued an advisory for all those experiencing flu-like symptoms to get tested for the infection, and to remain in self-isolation until a negative test result for Covid-19 can be confirmed for them.