Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Saturday, revealed that 10 additional individuals tested positive for COVID-19 across Maldives, in Haa Alif Atoll, Noonu Atoll and Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll.
Two of the new infections were recorded in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll's Hoandehdhoo -- the only island in the country with a potential community spread excluding capital Male'.
According to the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), 36 cases were identified in Hoandehdhoo till last Wednesday, but this number increased after HEOC received the test results for samples collected during the contact tracing process.
Speaking at the HEOC's press conference held on Saturday night, the centre's Spokesperson and HPA's Medical Officer Dr Nazla Rafeeq revealed that 18 of the 38 positives in Hoandehdhoo are high-risk individuals.
Moreover, she noted that authorities had identified 202 contacts, spread over 19 percent of households on the island. Positive cases are currently present in six percent of households in Hoandehdhoo.
Four individuals under home quarantine were the first positive cases identified in the island. However, HPA stated that it is unclear how the virus spread to 19 others that later tested positive, since the infected individuals did not violate quarantine.
Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll's Madaveli, connected to Hoandehdhoo via a causeway, is also under monitoring due to the recent cases.
In the north, an individual in Manadhoo, Noonu Atoll, received his positive test result while he was outside. Although he had completed his 14-day quarantine period, all individuals placed under home-quarantine are required to stay home until they receive negative test results.
The infected individual in Manadhoo was fined for violating HPA's guidelines. He is currently in home isolation.
According to Noonu Atoll Hospital located in Manadhoo, 11 direct contacts of the individual have since been identified and placed under quarantine.
However, he stated that the final contact list will be determined by HPA, and therefore, figures may change in the future.
Local media Mihaaru reported that the infected individual travelled to Manadhoo without the required permit, and completed his quarantine in a house with other residents.
Moreover, reports stated that he participated in the Friday prayer congregation and visited cafe's as well as other people-packed places.
Seven cases were also identified in Ihavandhoo, Haa Alif Atoll, of which six individuals visited the island for construction work, as per the island's health facility.
According to Ihavandhoo Health Centre's senior staff member Mohamed Akram, the six expatriate workers were found positive after collecting their samples following the end of the 14-day home quarantine period.
A local returning to the island from capital Male' also tested positive from the sample collected upon completion of quarantine.
Since none of the individuals had violated home quarantine, Akram stated that there was no risk of the disease spreading in the island.
"They [the positive cases] have no contacts. Therefore, we believe there s no risk to the people".
In addition to Ihavandhoo, HPA confirmed positive cases on 12 other islands including Kelaa and Filladhoo in Haa Alif Atoll, Naavaidhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Hulhudhuffaaru in Raa Atoll, Kamadhoo and Kudarikilu in Baa Atoll, Hinnavaru and Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll, Maafushi in Kaafu Atoll, Fulidhoo in Vaavu Atoll, Fuvahmulah and Feydhoo in Seenu Atoll.
All the positive cases in the aforementioned islands were confirmed through home-quarantine release samples.
Maldives currently records a total of 9,052 virus cases of which 1,959 are active cases, in addition to 7,055 recoveries and 32 deaths.
Outside the Greater Male' region, active virus cases are currently present in 28 inhabited islands as well as 26 resorts across the archipelago.
During the last month, authorities tightened the safety measures implemented in the Greater Male' region, following an alarming upsurge of COVID-19 cases after the state initiated efforts to steer the country towards a 'new normal' with the phased easing of lockdown restrictions.
Authorities have stated that the effects of implementing stricter measures will be reflected in the case numbers towards the end of the month.
After a long period of recording over 100 daily cases, the numbers have slipped down to two-digits during the past six days.
As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Maldives' capital Malé continues to record a significant number of COVID-19 cases, similar to the first weeks following the first confirmed local transmission on April 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 28.9 million people and claimed over 924,500 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 20.8 million people have recovered.
Sign In
