COVID-19: HPA confirms 47 more cases

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Saturday, confirmed that 47 additional individuals tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives.

According to the agency, the new cases include 43 Maldivians, three Bangladeshi nationals and one Indian citizen.

Speaking at the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HOEC) media briefing, HEOC spokesperson Dr Nazla Rafeeq, advised caution over a surge in infection rates over the last two days.

With these developments, Maldives presently has a total of 2,664 confirmed and 368 active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, the country records 2,268 recoveries and 13 deaths.

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 over 85 percent of patients now recovered.

In response, the state initiated efforts to steer the country towards a 'new normal' with the phased easing of lockdown restrictions across the Greater Male' Region. Government offices and businesses including shops, cafe's and restaurants restarted services on July 1 while authorities are prepared to reopen Maldives' borders for tourism on July 15.

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 12.7 million people and claimed over 565,049 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 7.4 million people have recovered.