Sample positivity rate at 40%, more than 22,000 cases in May alone

Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has stated that out of samples collected for COVID-19 in the Maldives, around 40 percent are testing positive for the virus.

In a press conference held at the HEOC today, Epidemiologist Dr. Ibrahim Afzal said that the virus spreading fast despite restrictive measures in place. 

Dr. Afzal said that so far in May, 22,166 people have tested positive for the virus up until May 21. Two percent of these people required hospitalization while 87 percent of those who tested positive had not received a vaccine for the virus at all. 13 percent had received at least a single dose of the vaccine.

86 percent of those who needed to be hospitalized had not received a single dose of the vaccine. Dr. Afzal said that the statistics showed that some level of protection was offered even with a single dose of the vaccine. 

Dr. Afzal said that three people had passed away due to the virus from 18:00 yesterday to 18:00 today and that all three had medical complications. 

"Two of them had not received a single dose of the vaccine. One had received the first dose," said Dr. Afzal. 

He advised the public to take preventive and safety measures such as wearing masks and washing hands to maintain social distancing in order to curb the spread of the virus effectively.