COVID-19: 121 new cases, 74 recoveries, vaccinations rise to 1,500

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has announced 121 new cases of COVID-19, increasing confirmed cases in the Maldives to 16,276.

The Maldives now has 1,879 active cases. There are 178 patients in hospitals.

According to HPA, the new cases are:

• 102 cases from Greater Male’ region.
• Four cases from residential islands apart from Male’
• 15 cases from operational resorts 

Meanwhile, 74 COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 14,337.

The positive cases today were detected from 3,197 samples. 420,675 samples (including repeated samples) have been tested for the COVID-19 to date.

Caseload over the week

• February 3: 121 cases
• February 2: 99 cases
• February 1: 215 cases
• January 31: 105 cases
• January 30: 122 cases
• January 29: 118 cases
• January 28: 106 cases

53 patients have died from complications.

Health Protection Agency also disclosed details of the vaccine drive in the Maldives against the virus. The HPA stated that 742 individuals were vaccinated today with the majority, 643, vaccinated in the six vaccine centers of the Greater Male' Area. A total of 99 individuals were vaccinated in atolls apart from the Greater Male' Area today.

The total number of vaccinations is now calculated at 1,578. The total number of people vaccinated in the Greater Male' Area is 1,309. The total number of vaccinations from other atolls is 269. There are a total of three vaccine centers in atolls apart from the capital area. 

The Maldives commenced its vaccine drive on February 1. The vaccine developed by Astrazeneca and Oxford University is administered in the Maldives. The government is also working to procure more vaccines and has pledged to inoculate the entire eligible population within six months.

Authorities have, however, confirmed that new variants of the virus were now spreading in the Maldives, which is attributed to the increase in cases observed since January. The nation is still under a state of public health emergency which was extended today to expire on March 11.

The increase in cases currently being observed in the capital has led to authorities clamping down on easements. The capital is under curfew from 23:00 to 4:30, and motor vehicles are also banned from 20:30 to 4:30. Parks and public spaces are closed for the time being while colleges and universities are once again conducting classes online.