Maldives confirms 82nd Covid-19 fatality

Maldives has confirmed the 82nd Covid-19 fatality.

Hours after the country reported a new single-day record of Covid-19 fatalities nationwide, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed the death of another local who was battling the infection.

The deceased has been identified as an 81-year-old woman who died while receiving treatment at the 11th floor of Dharumavantha Hospital.

Doctors pronounced her dead at around 2:46pm on Friday.

On Thursday HPA identified the 77th victim as a 61-year-old man who was isolated in Rasdhoo island of Alif Alif atoll, who passed away at 3:45pm on Thursday.

Since then, four more deaths were reported by Friday.

HPA revealed that the 78th death was reported at around 7:50am where a 97-year-old Maldivian woman being treated at Naifaru Hospital in Lhaviyani atoll, succumbed to Covid-19 complications. The woman tested positive to coronavirus on May 6.

Further, the 79th fatality was reported at 9:35pm on Thursday, when an 88-year-old Maldivian man died while receiving treatment at Hulhumalé Medical Facility. He contracted the virus on April 29.

Early Thursday health authorities confirmed two more deaths including a 60-year-old Indian man who passed away at around 3:47am on Thursday while receiving treatment at the 11th floor of Dharumavantha Hospital after testing positive on April 28. He was the 80th victim of the coronavirus pandemic.

A 37-year-old Bangladeshi national died from Covid-19 complications after contracting the virus on April 26. The Bangladeshi man died while in quarantine in Maafushi island of Kaafu atoll, at around 7:50am on Friday.

He was identified as the 81st Covid-19 victim in the Maldives.

The pandemic has claimed 33 lives in the Maldives during 2021, eight of which have been reported thus far in May.

Authorities earlier stressed that Covid-19 fatalities had doubled in count since January 2021. As such, while four deaths were observed in January, the number increased to 10 during February. Six Covid-19 fatalities were reported during March as well as April. April’s Covid-19 victims include an Indian national.

With an alarming spike in case count over the past few days, hospitalizations are also increasing in comparison to the past month. Currently there are 198 Covid-19 patients hospitalized for treatment.

Maldives active Covid-19 tally is currently at 7,109 with over 32,000 infections having been confirmed nationwide since the pandemic surfaced in the island nation during March 2020. Authorities have imposed strict measures in the capital region as well as in outlying atolls in light of the spiking cases. Starting Thursday there will be a seven-hour curfew from 9pm to 4am