COVID-19: With 118 new infections, cases spiral up

Health Protection Agency (HPA), has announced 118 additional cases of COVID-19, increasing confirmed cases in the Maldives to 15,614.

With the new developments, Maldives now has 1,492 active cases. There are 142 patients in hospitals.

According to HPA, the 106 new cases are:

• 87 cases from Greater Male’ region.
• 21 cases from residential islands apart from Male’
• 10 cases from operational resorts 

Meanwhile, 36 COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 14,064.

The positive cases were detected from 2,902 samples collected over the last 24 hours. 403,645 samples (including repeated samples) have been tested for the COVID-19 to date.

Caseload over the week

• January 29: 118 cases
• January 28: 106 cases
• January 27: 143 cases
• January 26: 145 cases
• January 25: 109 cases
• January 24: 108 cases
• January 23: 55 cases

51 patients have died from complications.

With the increase of cases being observed once again, authorities are clamping down on previous easements granted after cases died down in late 2020. This includes limiting the time for cafes and restaurants as well as public parks and the banning of public gatherings.  

The Maldives had experienced around two waves of the virus in 2020 after identifying the first case in March. The capital, Male' City remains the epicenter as case numbers once again start to pick up.

The Maldives has also received vaccines against the virus and is expected to begin inoculation in the near future.

The Maldives received 100,000 doses of the Astrazeneca-Oxford vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India as a gift.

A further 700,000 doses of the same vaccine is to be procured by the Maldivian government soon. The Maldives Food and Drug Authority recently approved the use of the vaccines.