COVID-19: HPA records 10 additional cases

The Health Protection Agency confirmed late Friday, that a further 10 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in the capital city of Male'.

According to the agency, the newly confirmed cases (MAV0482 to MAV0491) include five Maldivians and five foreign nationals, of which 3 are from Bangladesh and 2 are from India.

The locals include three females; one elderly and two males; one is a minor. Of the foreigners, all are male and are aged between 27 - 44 years old.

All of the newly confirmed patients are currently in stable condition.

With this development, Maldives now records 491 confirmed, 471 active cases of COVID-19 and a total of 17 recoveries. The country recorded its first virus death, an 83-year-old local female, on Wednesday evening.

Following the first confirmed local transmission on April 15, Malé has recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases. The city is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

The disease has also disproportionately affected the country's large expatriate population, the majority of whom are Bangladeshi nationals and live in highly congested quarters where it is impossible to reduce contact or exercise social distancing.

In addition to the capital, COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Uligan in Haa Alif Atoll, Narudhoo and Milandhoo in Shaviyani Atoll, and Thulusdhoo in Kaafu Atoll.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 3.4 million people and claimed over 239,600 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than a million people have recovered.