Mabrouq: Maldives' testing rate unrivalled within SAARC

National Emergency Operations Center spokesperson Mabrouq Azeez, on Saturday, said that the COVID-19 testing rate in Maldives was unrivalled among South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.

Maldives has tested over 11,000 samples for COVID-19. 785 people have tested positive, among whom 29 have recovered and three have died from complications.

At a NEOC press briefing on Saturday night, Mabrouq responded to questions over the rate of COVID-19 testing in Maldives by stating that the country was within the top five countries in Aisa in terms of testing rate.

“Maldives is within the top 25 percent of any region within the world in terms of testing rate. Saying this country conducted 10 tests or that country conducted three tests, and how proficient the country which conducted 10 tests is… When you say this, you need to see how many people live in this country which conducted 10 tests. Or how many thousands of people live in the country which conducted three tests,” said Mabrouq.

Mabrouq said that the entire world was facing a shortage in medical equipment and test kits due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that because Maldives was among the countries which had conducted the most tests per capita in Asia, countries and organizations which supply test kits were prioritizing providing kits to countries with low testing rates.

“We are facing such challenges. But we are working day and night to find ways to maximize testing. To have as many staff engaged in this as possible. To secure as many machinery as possible,” said Mabrouq.

He said that no country had an advantage in face of such an unprecedented pandemic, and that people must learn to adapt to the situation as best they can.

And until a vaccine is created, the best approach is to practice social distancing, he said.

In addition to the test kits procured by the government, Maldives received 11,000 test kits from World Health Organization (WHO), 10,000 test kits from China, and 10,000 test kits from Velaa resort.