COVID-19 cases in Hoadedhoo rise to 36

Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has announced that an additional coronavirus case has been confirmed from G. Dh. Hoadedhoo this Wednesday, increasing total cases in the island to 36.

Hoadedhoo identified its first coronavirus cases on September 3; four people undergoing home quarantine after travelling from Male’ – the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Maldives.

Surveillance to check for a community spread picked up two cases on September 4, prompting health authorities to implement restrictive measures in Hoadedhoo, including a temporary ban on all travel in and out of the island. Contact tracing on the two cases identified 19 additional cases on September 5, and 10 more on Tuesday.

HEOC has announced that one of the samples tested this Wednesday came back positive.

Hoadedhoo now has 36 active cases; the four who tested positive while under home quarantine and the 32 whose source of infection remains unknown – including the one case confirmed this Wednesday.

Two patients; a 64-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man, a married couple, were transferred to the regional coronavirus treatment facility located in G. A. Vilingili on Tuesday after their condition deteriorated.

Health authorities have identified more than 111 people as contacts of the cases in Hoadedhoo, at least 60 of who are symptomatic.

Authorities are working on testing the contacts and identifying the source of the infection.

Maldives has 8,834 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 93 new cases recorded this Wednesday. 6,288 have since recovered, while 31 have died from complications.

The country currently has 2,509 active cases. 127 coronavirus patients are hospitalized.