Ex-President Maumoon tests positive for coronavirus

Former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has tested positive for COVID-19.

Maumoon, 82, confirmed the test results in a tweet on Tuesday.

قل لن يصيبنا إلا ما كتب الله لنا. I have tested positive for Covid-19. May Almighty Allah bless me and all other sick people with a speedy recovery and good health! Aameen!

— Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (@maumoonagayoom) August 25, 2020

Maumoon was tested for COVID-19 earlier this Tuesday, after he sought medical care at the Tree Top Hospital. He had been suffering from a fever since Monday.

The news of his illness has been met with well wishes from members of the public on social media sites.

Maumoon’s spouse, Nasreena Ibrahim had been hospitalized at Tree Top Hospital earlier this August following a health complication she developed during the Eid holidays. She had been tested for COVID-19 upon hospitalization, but the results had come back negative, and she was later discharged from the hospital.

The risk of severe illness from COVID-19 is especially high for older adults and people with pre-existing health conditions.

Maldives has 7,047 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 135 new cases recorded on Monday. 4,439 patients have since recovered, while 28 have died from complications. The majority of the fatalities are older adults.