HPA confirms 16 positive cases, 18 recoveries

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Sunday, confirmed an additional 16 cases of COVID-19 and 18 recoveries in Maldives.

According to the agency, the new cases (MAV2188 - MAV2203) consist of eight Maldivians, seven Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian.

With these developments, Maldives presently records a total of 2,203 confirmed cases, out of which 387 are active cases of COVID-19. The country records 1,803 recoveries and eight fatalities so far.

As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Maldives' capital Malé recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the first weeks following the first confirmed local transmission on April 15.

The COVID-19 outbreak in the capital has disproportionately affected the expatriate population, the majority of whom are Bangladeshi nationals living in highly congested quarters where it is impossible to reduce contact or exercise social distancing. Their often small-spaced living conditions have been described by local and international civil society organizations as, "claustrophobic", "unsanitary" and "overcrowded".

However, the number of recoveries have continued to rise, with over 81 percent of patients now recovered.

WHO has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 8.8 million people and claimed over 464,321 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, 4.6 million people have recovered.