Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Tuesday, projected a likely increase of influenza cases during the upcoming southwest monsoon in Maldives.
Extending from May to November, Maldives typically experiences heavy rainfall during the southwest monsoon.
Speaking at the press conference held by the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), HPA's Dr Ibrahim Afzal stressed the importance of practising social distancing at the onset of any cold symptoms, even prior to COVID-19 testing. He urged any symptomatic individuals to self isolate and compile a list of contacts in order to aid contact tracing efforts in the event that they test positive for the virus.
Internal Medicine Specialist at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) Dr Moosa Hussain urged any individuals that developed symptoms to call the HPA hotline 1676 and follow the agency's instructions.
Maldives' first confirmed case of COVID-19 within the capital city of Male', was recorded on April 15, involving a local woman who sought assistamce at the flu clinic in Malé after developing coronavirus-like symptoms.
HPA subsequently placed the greater Male' region under lockdown for 24 hours and extended the measures for a 14-day period on April 16 after new cases surfaced.
Although an index patient for the outbreak is yet to be identified, the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC)'s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Monday, estimated that community spread of the virus began two to three weeks ago.
Maldives now records 86 confirmed and 70 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 16 recoveries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The novel coronavirus has infected over 2.5 million people and claimed over 177,600 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 690,300 people have recovered.
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