COVID-19: HPA confirms 19 new cases, 36 recoveries

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Sunday, confirmed that an additional 19 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives, while 36 were identified as having recovered.

According to the agency, the new cases consist of seven Maldivians, 10 Bangladeshi nationals and two Indians.

With these developments, Maldives presently records a total of 2,324 confirmed cases, out of which 400 are active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, the country records 1,911 recoveries and eight fatalities.

COVID-19 outbreak in the Maldives’ capital has disproportionately affected its migrant worker 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".

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.

However, the number of recoveries have continued to rise, with roughly 82 percent of patients now recovered.

On March 12, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 10.1 million people and claimed over 502,861 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 5.5 million people have recovered.