Public Health Specialist, Dr. Sheena Moosa has stated that one third of the new COVID-19 cases identified in the Maldives are likely to be due to the new variants of the virus detected in different parts of the world.
The number of COVID-19 cases registered in the Maldives have been increasing over the past few weeks. While the numbers have hovered over one hundred for a few days, the Maldives recorded 215 cases earlier on Monday. This is the first time the number crossed 200 since August last year.
Speaking at an emergency press conference held by the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC), Dr. Sheena Moosa said that increased rates of transmission have been identified across the world as a result of the new variants. Therefore, it is likely that the sudden spike in the number of cases in the Maldives is due to the new variants, said Dr. Sheena.
Dr. Sheena also noted that the number of hospitalisations due to COVID-19 have also been increasing over the past few days. She added that compliance to the Health Protection Agency (HPA)’s COVID-19 guidelines, which was previously at 98 percent, has dropped to 50 percent. Therefore, the number of cases can be brought down only if the public as well as entities adhere to the guidelines set by HPA, said Dr. Sheena.
