MALE, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Health officials in the Maldives have said that the country has made progress in controlling the second wave of COVID-19 infections that have seen cases rising close to 10,000, local media reported here Monday.
The Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) member Dr. Ahmed Shaheed said that the number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 dropped from 18 to 20 percent in August to 13 percent in the last two weeks, while the occupancy of hospital beds has also decreased.
Dr. Shaheed added that the number of COVID-19 cases not linked to existing clusters remained at 30 to 35 percent of all cases in the last two weeks and that the time taken for cases to double has increased.
He noted that these were positive developments but that it was too early to ease restrictions.
Meanwhile, data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed that 75 new cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Maldives on Sunday, including those of 22 locals and 53 foreigners.
The country now has 1,424 active cases spreading across 24 inhabited islands and in 26 resorts.
A total of 9,724 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country, out of which 8,261 have fully recovered and 34 have died. Enditem
