Authorities revealed that the second sample collected from the child under state care, in 'Kudakudhinge Hiyaa' orphanage in Vilimale', tested negative for COVID-19.
An official from the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services revealed that the child was released from isolation following the confirmation of the test result and is currently receiving medical treatment at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
Children and orphanage staff that directly came into contact with the child were released from quarantine as well.
The child in question initially tested positive on July 19, following a 16-day quarantine period implemented after returning from Cochi, India.
According to the gender ministry, the child was among two minors from the orphanage who travelled to Cochi for medical treatment on March 6 and returned on June 30.
The ministry stated that the child has had health complications since birth and occasionally requires advanced medical treatment from abroad.
The second test was conducted at IGMH after the child was taken to the hospital following some health issues.
The ministry guaranteed that measures to ensure the safety of children and staff at Kudakudhinge Hiyaa were in place as per the Health Protection Agency (HPA)'s guidelines.
As one of the most densely populated cities in the world, Maldives' capital Malé recorded a significant increase in COVID-19 cases in the first weeks following the first confirmed local transmission on April 15.
Following a sustained increase in recoveries, the state initiated efforts to steer the country towards a 'new normal'. As part of the phased easing of lockdown restrictions across the Greater Male' Region, unrestricted movement was permitted from June 15 onwards while government offices and businesses including shops, cafe's and restaurants restarted services on July 1. Authorities reopened Maldives' borders for tourism on July 15.
The number of COVID-19 cases has since increased with the total amount of recovered patients falling from its peak 86 to 78 percent.
Maldives presently records a total number of positive cases at 3,044 with 617 active cases. Till date, the country recorded 2,397 recoveries and 15 fatalities.
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 15 million people and claimed over 619,520 lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 9.1 million people have recovered.
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