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COVID-19: Maldives records 22 new cases, 37 recoveries

Shahudha Mohamed
19 October 2020, MVT 22:47
Frontline workers collecting random samples on the roads of Malé City. PHOTO: MIHAARU
Shahudha Mohamed
19 October 2020, MVT 22:47

The Health Protection Agency (HPA), on Monday, confirmed an additional 22 new cases of COVID-19 and 37 recoveries.

According to the agency, the new cases consist of 17 locals and five foreigners.

HPA revealed that 18 of the new infections were reported in the Greater Male' Region while the remaining four cases were identified outside the capital area.

In addition to the Greater Male' Region, active virus cases are currently present in 21 inhabited islands as well as 18 resorts across the archipelago.

With these developments, Maldives currently records a total of 11,232 virus cases of which 987 are active cases, in addition to 10,201 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 90 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 40.4 million people and claimed over 1.1 million lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 30.2 million people have recovered.

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