196 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the Maldives on Sunday with 178 cases from Male' City, which pushes the total number of active cases across the island nation at present to 2,475.

178 of Sunday's 196 new cases were confirmed from the Greater Male' area, where restrictions have been imposed in order to control an increasingly out-of-control and dangerous caseload. A further four cases of the infection were detected from inhabited islands, 12 new cases from operational resorts and two additional cases from liveaboard vessels.

With this, the Maldives' total Covid-19 tally has risen to 19,793 with 2,475 active cases of the infection recorded by sundown on Sunday. An additional nine persons were admitted to hospital for care for Covid-19 between Saturday and Sunday, with which a total of 179 persons are currently hospitalized across the country with the infection.

117 recoveries from Covid-19 were reported by 6pm Sunday, bringing the total number of recoveries observed in the island nation thus far up to 17,249. The Maldives' Covid-19 death toll is presently 62, with the two most recent deaths reported over the last two days. 16 percent of all deaths attributed to the Covid-19 infection in Maldives occurred within the month of February 2021, as the island nation goes through a devastating third peak of the pandemic.

Member of the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC)'s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Dr. Ahmed Shaheed has remarked that while the Maldives is currently faced with a third, markedly more severe wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, many people are making the careless mistake of equating the potentially fatal virus to a common cold. HPA statistics also show that the flu positivity rate has gone down despite the increase in cases, which means that fewer people are attending flu clinics despite presenting symptoms of Covid-19.

Health Minister Ahmed Naseem has previously described the Covid-19 situation in Male' City as "out of control" and "dangerous". However, he assured that authorities are working towards reducing the capital's caseload without initiating an economically restrictive full-lockdown in the city.

The concerning spike in cases from Male' comes at a time restrictions have been strengthened across the city. Health professionals have ramped up efforts to increase awareness on the very real risks of Covid-19, in order to improve public compliance on health and safety restrictions initiated to curb the virus' spread. Restrictions were imposed in the cities of Addu and Fuvahmulah as well, where community transmission of the infection have been confirmed.