Random sampling for COVID-19 is being carried out in islands of Ga. atoll due to positive cases identified in three islands of the atoll.
A large number of people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dhevvadhoo island of Ga. atoll. While 43 people tested positive in Dhevvadhoo, other cases in the cluster include four positive cases in Fonadhoo, two each in Dhaandhoo and Hulhumale, and a single case in Villingili. Over 255 contacts linked to the cases have been identified, out of which 101 people are in the high-risk group. Over 750 samples linked to the cluster have been collected.
The Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) said random samples are being collected from Dhaandhoo, Maamendhoo, Manafushi and Kolamaafushi of Ga. atoll to ensure that the virus is not circulating in these islands. However, the centre did not reveal how many samples are being collected from each island.
HEOC has instructed those who traveled on the atoll’s ferry, ‘Koimalaa-4’ to quarantine themselves as a precautionary measure. HEOC’s instruction came after a person who traveled on the ferry tested positive in Dhaandhoo on Thursday.
Five islands linked to the Dhevvadhoo cluster are currently on the Health Protection Agency (HPA)’s monitoring status.
