Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Sunday, confirmed that samples taken from a Bangladeshi national (MAV036) who presented to a flu clinic tested positive for COVID-19, raising the number of positive cases from Male' to 16.
According to authorities, the patient is currently being transferred to an isolation facility. This is the second Bangladeshi national to test positive for the virus in Maldives.
MAV036 is not yet confirmed to have been in 'direct contact' with any other COVID-19 patients. HPA stated that the agency is working on establishing any links with current cases.
Maldives recorded the highest number of confirmed infections within a single day on Saturday, with six positive cases.
The first community transmission was (MAV021) a local female with no recent travel history, who presented to the flu clinic in Male' after developing symptoms. She tested positive for the virus on April 15.
Amidst the evolving circumstances, HPA has since identified three different clusters of local transmissions of COVID-19 in Maldives. The patients include three local children, a pregnant local woman, and an expatriate.
Authorities have repeatedly called on the public to adhere to lockdown guidelines and heed isolation and social distancing measures, in order to flatten the curve and curb the spread of the virus. With Maldives expected to reach peak within 14 days, HPA warned earlier that should the present circumstances persist without stricter adherence to controlling measures, the number of infections is projected to reach nearly 100,000 with 2,000 estimated deaths.
Maldives now has 36 confirmed and 20 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 16 recoveries. A total of 1,081 suspect cases were placed in quarantine while 61 others have been isolated.
The World Health Organization has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over 2.3 million people and claimed over 160,783 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 599,997 people have recovered.
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