Maldives continues to see devastating surge in Covid-19 cases

Maldives continues to see a devastating surge in daily Covid-19 infections being reported across the Maldives, with healthcare authorities having detected a total of 1,572 new cases on Wednesday.

Latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that of the over 1,500 new infections, 844 cases were confirmed between 6pm Tuesday and 6pm Wednesday. This means that 728 infections were from the backlog samples.

As such, healthcare workers tested a total of 5,336 samples for Covid-19 over the past 24 hours.

Of Wednesday’s cases, 1,315 were reported in the Greater Malé Region, 242 from residential islands and 15 from operational resorts.

The country’s active Covid-19 cases currently sit at 12,873.

With the new developments, Maldives Covid-19 tally has been pushed to 40,092.

Further with 328 additional recoveries reported over the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries from Covid-19 reported across the Maldives increased to 27,123.

With a recent spike in daily infections, hospital admissions have also doubled, over the past 24 hours, 16 more Covid-19 patients were hospitalized for treatment, meaning that the number of hospital admissions has risen to 263.

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.

Measures have been strengthened for a one-week period. Further authorities have imposed a curfew in the capital region from 4pm to 4am. 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.

The authorities have revealed that discussions are currently underway on the possibilities of imposing a second lockdown across the Covid-19 epicenter.

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.