COVID-19: Maldives confirms 134 new infections, 82 recoveries

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced 134 new cases of COVID-19, increasing confirmed cases in the Maldives to 16,410.

The Maldives now has 1,930 active cases. There are 178 patients in hospitals.

According to HPA, the new cases are:

• 110 cases from Greater Male’ region.
• Nine cases from residential islands apart from Male’
• 13 cases from operational resorts 
• One case from non-operational resort
• One case from an island under development

Meanwhile, 82 COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 14,419.

The positive cases today were detected from 3,886 samples. 424,323 samples (including repeated samples) have been tested for the COVID-19 to date.

Caseload over the week

• February 4: 134 cases
• February 3: 121 cases
• February 2: 99 cases
• February 1: 215 cases
• January 31: 105 cases
• January 30: 122 cases
• January 29: 118 cases

54 patients have died from complications.

Vaccine numbers growing

HPA stated today that 1,626 individuals were vaccinated today with the majority, 1,477 vaccinated from the Greater Male' Area. A total of 149 individuals were vaccinated in atolls apart from the Greater Male' Area today.

The total number of vaccinations is now calculated at 3,204. The total number of people vaccinated in the Greater Male' Area is 2,786. The total number of vaccinations from other atolls is 418. 

The Maldives commenced its vaccine drive on February 1. The vaccine developed by Astrazeneca and Oxford University is administered in the Maldives. The government is also working to procure more vaccines and has pledged to inoculate the entire eligible population within six months.

Authorities have confirmed that new variants of the virus were now spreading in the Maldives, which is attributed to the increase in cases observed since January. The nation is still under a state of public health emergency which will expire on March 11.

The increase in cases currently being observed in the capital has led to authorities clamping down on easements. The capital is under curfew from 23:00 to 4:30, and motor vehicles are also banned from 20:30 to 4:30. Parks and public spaces are closed for the time being while colleges and universities are once again conducting classes online.