Nine new positive cases of COVID-19 have been identified from Manadhoo island of Noonu atoll.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) officially informed the figures to the island council on Friday.
Manadhoo island council said the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on Friday informed nine samples collected from the island tested positive for COVID-19. All nine people have been on home isolation, said the council.
The first person to test positive for COVID-19 in Manadhoo was an 80 year woman. According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), the woman had presented herself to the government's main hospital in capital Male' with complaints of a severe stomachache. She displayed no symptoms of flu at the time, said NEOC.
However, after the hospital tested her for COVID-19, her results came back positive. By that time, the woman had already returned to the guest house she was staying at after seeking treatment from the hospital. 15 people linked to the case identified and isolated through contact tracing. While all are health-care professionals, it is unknown whether the new positive cases are of those isolated or their contacts.
The total number of infections recorded in Maldives have surpassed 1000 over the span of a month. Four COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded thus far in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
