The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has stated that over 200 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 twice within an year.
The first COVID-19 case was reported from the Maldives during the first week of March 2020. However, cases were reported from the capital for the first time more than a month later on April 15.
Speaking at a press conference held Saturday, Dr. Ibrahim Afzal from HPA said 208 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 more than once over the past 53 weeks. Afzal said those who test positive a second time usually get infected three months after the initial infection. Most people were infected a second time 34 weeks after their first infection. Statistics show 43 people tested positive for a second time within this period.
HPA said 22 people tested positive for a second time 31 weeks after their initial infection, while 13 people were re-infected after 20 weeks. Although the number of people who test positive for the virus has increased significantly this year compared to 2020, the number of people who get re-infected are considerably lesser compared to last year, said HPA. The reason for the decrease in amount of reinfections are likely due to immunity gained from vaccines.
