Maldives Covid-19 tally surpasses 34,000-mark with 766 new infections reported nationwide

Maldives Covid-19 tally has surpassed the 34,000-mark with 766 new infections reported by sundown on Friday.

Latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that the country continues to experience devastating surges in daily cases being confirmed. As such, healthcare workers tested a total of 3,153 samples for Covid-19 between 6pm Thursday and 6pm Friday.

Of the 766 new infections, 571 were reported in the Greater Malé Region, 171 from residential islands and 23 from operational resorts. Further, an additional infection was confirmed from an island reserved for industrial purposes.

It has been over a week where Maldives has been recording alarming numbers of coronavirus infections and the country’s active Covid-19 cases currently sit at 8,261.

Maldives Covid-19 tally has reached 34,134 by Friday’s end.

Further with 107 additional recoveries reported over the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries from Covid-19 reported across the Maldives increased to 25,782.

With a recent spike in daily infections, hospital admissions have also doubled, exceeding 200 over the past few days. Over the past 24 hours, two more Covid-19 patient were hospitalized for treatment, meaning that the number of hospital admissions has risen to 205.

The Covid-19 caseload has begun spiking in recent weeks at a time Maldives was able to control a spike in cases into the beginning of the new year, with strengthened measures such as a curfew period and travel restrictions. However, authorities lifted the measures in place in time for the fasting month of Ramadan 1442 as well as the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections held in mid-April.

Starting Wednesday, a four-hour ban on vehicle movement is in effect alongside other strengthened measures nationwide, including revoking the permit to travel within residential islands two weeks after completing the two Covid-19 vaccination shots, without the need to quarantine. Measures have been strengthened for a period of 10 days. Further authorities have imposed a seven-hour curfew in the capital region from Thursday. HPA has also urged civil servants as well as those employed in private companies to work from home in order to slow the spread. Recently HPA also increased the quarantine period for travel within islands to 14 days. Other measures include closing down daycare centers, halting tuition and quran classes as well as halting physical classes at schools. Doctors have stressed that recent statistics indicate that around 80 children below the age of five are currently testing positive for Covid-19 everyday which triggers increasing concerns as hospital beds fill up across the capital region.

Public health authorities continue to stress the importance of following Covid-19 health and safety measures set to control transmission of the virus, including social distancing, avoiding public gatherings, maintaining hand hygiene and effective masking while outdoors.

Maldives has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year and the last extension is set to expire on June 3.