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COVID-19: Maldives records 37th death

Shahudha Mohamed
18 October 2020, MVT 18:00
A frontline worker collecting random samples in the streets of capital Malé. PHOTO: MIHAARU
Shahudha Mohamed
18 October 2020, MVT 18:00

Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Sunday, confirmed the 37th COVID-19 related death in Maldives.

The deceased was a 80-year-old Maldivian man, who passed away at 1550 hrs while receiving treatment at Hulhumale Medical Facility.

He marks the 31st local to have succumbed to the virus in Maldives. The remaining fatalities include five Bangladeshi nationals and a Filipino citizen.

Maldives currently records a total of 11,178 virus cases of which 1,044 are active cases, in addition to 10,097 recoveries and 37 deaths.

During August, 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.

After a long period of recording over 100 daily cases, the numbers fell to two-digits during the most part of September. Within this same period, the number of recoveries saw a significant increase, bringing the number of recovered cases to over 89 percent.

Despite the sustained decrease in virus cases, HPA has renewed calls for citizens to adhere to protective measures to contain the spread of the virus, cautioning against a public sentiment that the outbreak has been “controlled”.

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 40 million people and claimed over 1.1 million lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 29.9 million people have recovered.

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