COVID-19: 209 new infections; 5,717 vaccinations

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Saturday, announced 209 additional cases of the new coronavirus, increasing confirmed coronavirus cases in Maldives to 17,716.

According to HPA, the 209 new cases include; 101 cases from the greater Male’ region, 15 cases from residential islands outside Male’, 6 cases from operational resorts, 14 cases from liveaboards, and 73 cases from industrial islands.

Meanwhile, 149 additional coronavirus patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 15,291.

With the new developments, Maldives now has 2,360 active cases.

There are 190 patients in hospitals.

4,006 samples (including repeated samples) have been tested for the new coronavirus over the last 24-hours.

With the 209 new infections this Saturday, 1,060 people have tested positive over the last one-week period.

February 13: 209 cases

February 12: 120 cases

February 11: 186 cases

February 10: 100 cases

February 9: 192 cases

February 8: 126 cases

February 7: 127 cases

Maldives identified its first coronavirus case on March 7, and declared a state of public health emergency over the pandemic less than a week later on March 12.

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

The populous capital quickly emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Maldives, contributing to the majority of total cases.

58 coronavirus patients have died from complications.

VACCINE DRIVE

Maldives began mass vaccinations against the new coronavirus on February 1.  HPA states 5,717 people were vaccinated on Saturday. Of the 5,717 people, 4,609 were from the greater Male’ region while 1,108 were from the atolls.

Total 33,106 people have now been inoculated under program; 27,065 from the greater Male’ region and 6,041 from the atolls.

Maldives received a donation of 100,000 doses of the Covishield developed AstraZeneca and Oxford in January and has ordered 700,000 more doses of the same vaccine – which they expect to receive in March. Maldives has also received 10,000 doses of Sinopharm as donations, and China has pledged a donation of 100,000 more doses of the same vaccine – which have yet to arrive in Maldives.

Maldives also expects to receive the first shipment of vaccines from World Health Organization (WHO) this February.