On Thursday, health authorities confirmed 116 new cases of Covid-19 from across the Maldives, and 95 additional recoveries from the infection as Male' City once again tops more than a hundred daily new cases.

A total of 3,963 samples were tested for Covid-19 between 6pm Wednesday and 6pm Tuesday, bringing the total number of samples tested across the country thus far, including repeat samples, up to 479,841. Of the 116 new cases reported on Thursday, 108 were detected from the Greater Male' Region, three cases from inhabited islands, four cases from operational resorts and one more case from a liveaboard vessel.

As of sundown on Thursday, a total of 18,340 people have contracted Covid-19 in the Maldives, with the number of active cases increasing by 21 from the day before to 2,412.

168 people were receiving in-hospital care for Covid-19 at the end of Thursday, with an additional 95 recoveries having been observed from among those infected with the virus. A total of 15,863 people have thus recovered from Covid-19 across the country since the beginning of the pandemic.

58 people have died in the Maldives from Covid-19 and related health complications, 10 of which were reported this year.

Health authorities have confirmed that the Maldives is currently experiencing a third wave of the pandemic, made worse by the possible spread of the more virulent UK variant of Covid-19 in the Male' area. Outside of the capital, Addu City remains the hardest hit with over a fifty positive cases detected from the city's interconnected islands. Community spread of Covid-19 has also been confirmed from Fuvahmulah City, following which restrictions have been implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.

Additionally, health authorities revealed the have sent samples abroad for testing to identify the different variants of Covid-19 spreading in the country. These new variants of the virus present a real risk to people as well as vaccine effectivity as the nation opened international borders mid-last year, and as tourists have been travelling to and through the Maldives steadily since then.

Members of the public are advised to support the national effort to control the spread of Covid-19, as healthcare systems teeter on the brink of being overwhelmed with more new cases being detected each passing day, especially from the nation's capital of Male'. Covid-19. All are encouraged to adhere strictly to the health and safety regulations in place in order to control the third wave of the pandemic across the nation.