COVID-19: 84 patients refusing to be isolated

Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has said that there were 84 COVID-19 patients who were refusing to be transported to facilities for treatment.

Concern that the authorities slow to move patients to isolation facilities have been amplified from the public as of recently. Several people have spoken out that there remained high-risk individuals who are yet to be moved to facilities. 

HEOC spokesperson Dr. Nazla Rafeeq said last night that the authorities were relocating patients in an adequate manner. Dr. Nazla was speaking in a press conference when she said that some people were refusing to be moved, which in turn caused delays.

"Some refuse to go. Sometimes we have to delay the movement until the result of a family member is received. There are around 85 such individuals that we have requested but are yet to be moved." said Dr. Nazla.

People sometimes outright refuse to cooperate and be relocated when authorities attend to move them, said HEOC official Dr. Ibrahim Afzal. 

He said that there were 138 individuals to be moved to facilities within 24 hours. The total number of individuals to be moved are numbered at 359.

Out of these, 85 had refused to be isolated while 15 individuals were waiting for the test results of a family member. 14 individuals remain to be contacted for isolation, said Dr. Afzal. This meant that the "actual number" of individuals pending for isolation was 22, said the doctor.

The Maldives confirmed 146 additional cases of the virus last night as well, bringing the grand total of confirmed cases to 6,225.