COVID-19: Additional 11 positive cases, 69 recoveries recorded

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has just announced that 11 cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Maldives from 18:00 yesterday to the same time tonight. The agency also confirmed that 69 individuals have made recoveries from the virus.

HPA stated that the confirmed cases tonight were:

• 8 locals 
• 3 Bangladeshi nationals

A tweet issued by the HPA read that the total number of positive cases confirmed in the country was 1,883. There are 1,157 active cases in the country while 1,228 individuals are in isolation facilities. A further 1,482 individuals are in quarantine facilities.

So far, seven deaths have been recorded from the virus in the Maldives. They include four elderly locals and three Bangladeshi nationals.

HPA confirmed that 717 individuals in total have made recoveries from the virus so far in the Maldives.

Authorities have conducted 29,440 tests for the virus so far, including repeat samples.

A total of 22 cases were identified in the Maldives yesterday while only nine cases were identified on the day before.

The Maldives identified its first COVID-19 case on March 7 and declared a state of public health emergency over the pandemic on March 12.

While COVID-19 cases had initially been restricted to resorts and safaris, and later quarantine facilities holding inbound travelers, Male’ City identified its first COVID-19 case on April 15, prompting a city-wide lockdown and a nationwide ban on nonessential travel.

The populous Male’ City has since become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, contributing to over 90 percent of the total cases. The majority of the cases were identified in the migrant population of the capital.

However, due to control in the number of cases, authorities have introduced some easements to restrictions that are to be rolled back in phases.

Case numbers have been reducing gradually since then. Only nine cases were identified yesterday, while the number of recoveries keeps on rising.