| COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives | |
|---|---|
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Maldives |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China, via Italy |
| Index case | Kuredu Resort & Spa |
| Arrival date | 7 March 2020 (3 years, 10 months and 6 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 186,694[1] |
| Recovered | 186,371 (updated 23 July 2023) [2] |
Deaths | 316[1] |
| Fatality rate | 0.17% |
| Government website | |
| covid19 | |
The COVID-19 pandemic in Maldives was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Maldives on 7 March 2020 from a 69-year-old Italian tourist who had returned to Italy after spending holidays in Kuredu Resort & Spa.[3][4] The Health Protection Agency of Maldives confirmed two cases in Maldives, both employees of the resort. Following this, the hotel was locked down with several tourists stranded on the island.[5] As of 11 March, the resorts of Kuredu, Vilamendhoo, Batalaa, and Kuramathi island were also placed under temporary quarantine. Schools were closed as a precaution.[6]
Cases in the country spiked after a cluster emerged in the country's migrant worker community's dense living quarters, mostly composed of Bangladeshi, Indian, and Nepali migrant workers in May 2020.[7] 2,420 foreigners have tested positive in the country with 1,857 Bangladeshi migrant workers have tested positive for the virus.[8] The Maldivian government plans to relocate 3,000 Bangladeshi foreign workers to other islands in order to enable social distancing.[9]
As of May 24, 2021, Maldives had the world's fastest-growing COVID-19 epidemic, with the highest number of infections per million people over the prior 7 and 14 days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[10][11]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[12][13] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[14][12]
Timeline
March 2020
- On 7 March 2020, the Maldives confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19, who were foreign employees at Kuredhoo Island Resort. Both were believed to have caught the infection from an Italian tourist who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Italy.[3] On 9 March, the Maldives confirmed two other COVID-19 cases tested positive. They too were tourists.[15]
- The Maldives declared a public health emergency over COVID-19 on 12 March.[16] As of 19 March, the Maldives had 13 positive cases and the lockdown status on Vilamendhoo and Bathala had been lifted.[17]
- On 27 March, the government announced the first confirmed case of a Maldivian citizen with COVID-19, and that person is from the UK. This brought the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 16; the other 15 were foreign citizens.[18] As of 29 March, there were 17 positive cases of COVID-19.[19]
April to June 2020
- On 30 April, Maldivian authorities reported their first death of coronavirus in the country, with the first victim being an 83-year-old woman that died en route to the hospital.[20] The total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak stood at 468.[21]
- On May 15, 2020, more than 1,000 cases tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives. By the end of May there had been 1,773 confirmed cases and five deaths.[22]
- The total number of confirmed cases increased to 2,361 and the death toll rose to eight in June.[23]
July to September 2020
- The total number of confirmed cases increased to 3,793 and the death toll rose to 16 in July.[24]
- On 25 August, former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom tested positive for COVID-19.[25] The number of confirmed cases more than doubled to 7667 and the death toll increased to 28 in August.[26]
- In September, the number of confirmed cases increased to 10,291 and the death toll rose to 34.[27]
October to December 2020
- In October, the number of confirmed cases increased to 11,659 and the death toll rose to 38.[28]
- In November, the number of confirmed cases increased to 13,011 and the death toll rose to 46.[29]
- In December, the number of confirmed cases increased to 13,757 and the death toll rose to 48.[30]
January to December 2021
- Mass vaccination commenced on 1 February, initially with 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine donated by India.[31] An unidentified benefactor donated 5,000 doses of the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine while China undertook to donate 100,000 doses of the same vaccine.[32] India donated 100,000 additional doses of Covishield on 20 February.[33] Four weeks after the start of the vaccination campaign, 111,415 people had received their first dose.
- On 2 February, Dr. Sheena Moosa of the Maldives Health Emergency Operations Center reported that the time-varying reproduction number R t had risen to 5.[34]
- On 23 February, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced that it had shipped 100,000 syringes to be used for both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.[35]
- As of 24 May 2021, Maldives had the world's fastest-growing COVID-19 epidemic, with the highest number of infections per million people over the prior 7 and 14 days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.[36] Doctors warned that increasing demand for COVID-19 care could hinder their ability to handle other health emergencies in the Maldives.[37]
- At the start of July 191,441 persons had received two vaccine doses and 317,214 persons had received their first inoculation,[38] rising to 264,913 and 321,764 persons by the end of the month.[39]
- From 15 August, the vaccination campaign was extended to children between 12 and 17 years old.[40] By the end of the month 302,182 persons had received two vaccine doses and 383,620 had received their first inoculation.[40]
- The first case in the Maldives of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was confirmed on 5 December.[41]
- The number of confirmed cases increased to 15,841 in January,[42] 19,793 in February,[43] 24,079 in March,[44] 29,835 in April,[45] 64,396 in May,[46] 73,798 in June (of which 3,602 active cases),[47] 77,432 in July (of which 2,601 active cases),[48] 81,112 in August (of which 1,730 active cases),[49] 84,809 in September (of which 1,591 active cases),[50] 87,784 in October (of which 1,792 active cases),[51] 91,650 in November (of which 1,613 active cases),[52] and 95,700 in December (including 2,298 active cases).[53]
January to December 2022
- On 22 January, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.[54]
- The number of confirmed cases increased to 138,880 in January (of which 17,770 active cases),[55] 170,192 in February (of which 15,076 active cases),[56] 177,658 in March (of which 13,008 active cases),[57] 179,414 in April (of which 15,186 active cases),[58] 179,753 in May (of which 15,767 active cases),[59] 182,720 in June,[60] 184,485 in July,[61] 184,924 in August,[62] 185,082 in September,[63] 185,364 in October,[64] 185,618 in November,[65] and 185,693 in December.[66]
- The death toll rose to 276 in January,[55] 297 in February,[56] 298 in March,[57] 299 in May,[59] 305 in June,[60] 307 in July,[61] 308 in August,[62] and 311 in November.[65]
- The public health emergency of 12 March 2020 was gradually removed in 2022, starting on 13 March.[57]
January to December 2023
Statistics
Charts
Confirmed new cases per day
Confirmed deaths per day
Restrictions on travel to the Maldives
The government of the Maldives and the Tourism Ministry of the Maldives with the guidance of the Health Protection Agency of the Maldives (HPA) placed a temporary travel restriction for the following countries to control new cases. No passengers originating from, transiting to, or with a travel history of said country/province is to be permitted into the Maldives. Maldivians and spouses of Maldivians who are foreign nationals will be allowed in but may be subject to quarantine measures.[68]
| Country | Effective Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| China | Active from 4 February 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Iran | Active from 26 February 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| South Korea (North and South Gyeongsang Provinces) | Active from 3 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Italy | Active from 8 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Bangladesh | Active from 24 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Germany (Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg) | Active from 15 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Spain (All provinces and regions) | Active from 15 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| France (Île-de-France and Grand Est) | Active from 15 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Malaysia | Active from 17 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| United Kingdom | Active from 19 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
| Sri Lanka | Active from 21 March 2020 | Ministry of Health |
Quarantine facilities
The Maldivian government turned the resort island of Villivaru in the Kaafu Atoll into a quarantine facility, described as "the world's first coronavirus resort", where patients would enjoy a luxurious stay and free medical care.[69][70]
According to Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed, the Maldives had 2,288 beds available for quarantine as of late March 2020.[70]
Impact
The Maldives' economy is dependent on tourism, which dropped severely due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic. Experts warned of an economic contraction and possible difficulties paying back foreign debt, especially to China and India.[71]
Migrant workers in Maldives have been reported to face harsh treatment from their employers, such as wage theft, unsafe living and working conditions, passport confiscation, and deceptive recruitment practices. According to an investigation by Human Rights Watch, these migrant labor abuses have worsened due to COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in job loss and forced labor without any pay.[72]
Details of the initial confirmed cases
| Case | Date | Age | Gender | Nationality | Hospital admitted | Source of infection | Status | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 March 2020 | Not disclosed | Female | Turkish | Farukolhu Fushi Isolation Center | Italy | Recovered | First case in the Maldives. Italian tourist linked the local transmission | Ministry of Health |
| 2 | 7 March 2020 | Not disclosed | Male | South African | Farukolhu Fushi Isolation Center | Italy | Recovered | First case in the Maldives. Italian tourist linked the local transmission | Ministry of Health |
See also
References
- 1 2 Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Dattani, Saloni; Roser, Max (2020–2022). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
- ↑ "Maldives COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer".
- 1 2 "Maldives confirms first two coronavirus cases; two resort islands locked down". The Economic Times. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ↑ Hussain, Moosa (7 June 2020). "Management of the first severe case of COVID-19 in the small islands of Maldives". Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. 30: 101118. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2020.101118. PMC 7276129. PMID 32550127.
- ↑ Tamara Hardingham-Gill. "Tourists being kept under coronavirus quarantine at luxury Maldives resort". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus: Four Maldives resorts placed in lockdown". TTG. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives Sees Rapid Spike in COVID-19 Patients". Archived from the original on 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ↑ "COVID-19 should be a wake up call to Maldives to treat its migrant workers better". 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ↑ "Samples collected from migrant workers living in 30". Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ↑ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ↑ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- 1 2 "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ↑ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ↑ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus: Bath couple describe Maldives resort chaos". BBC. 16 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives declares public health emergency over COVID-19". TTG. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ↑ "CORONAVIRUS: MALDIVES LIFTS LOCKDOWN ON THREE RESORTS". TTG. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives reports first domestic case of coronavirus, total tally rises to 16". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation report 70" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 March 2020. p. 3.
- ↑ "Maldives Reports First Coronavirus Fatality". ANI News. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 103" (PDF). World Health Organization. 2 May 2020. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 July 2020. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives ex-president tests positive for coronavirus". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives response to COVID-19" (PDF). World Health Organization. 31 August 2020. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives launches loyalty program to attract tourists". MyNews 24x7. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ "COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update". World Health Organization. 3 November 2020. p. 21. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ Mohamed, Shahudha (30 November 2020). "COVID-19: Maldives records 17 new cases, 37 recoveries". The Edition. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- ↑ Mohamed, Shahudha (31 December 2020). "COVID-19: Maldives records 19 new cases, 16 recoveries". The Edition. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ↑ Osmanagic, Ameera (31 January 2021). "Breaking: Vaccination in Maldives to begin tomorrow!". The Times of Addu. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ↑ Faaiq, Ali (4 February 2021). "China to donate additional 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Maldives". The Times of Addu. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ↑ "India donates additional 100,000 doses of vaccine to Maldives". The Edition. 21 February 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ↑ Abdul Hadi, Ahmedulla (2 February 2021). "Health officials confirm spread of new COVID-19 variant in Maldives". Sun Media Group. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ↑ "First wave of COVID-19 vaccine syringes start journey to Maldives". UN News. 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ↑ "With Highest Covid Rate, Maldives Imposes 16-Hour Curfew". BloombergQuint. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ↑ "Maldives reports 61st Covid-19 death in ongoing month of May". raajje.mv. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
- ↑ Zalif, Zunana (3 July 2021). "Covid-19 vaccination: 914 doses administered on Thursday". Raajje. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ↑ "264,913 persons now fully vaccinated against Covid-19". Raajje. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- 1 2 Abdulla, Lamya (1 September 2021). "Maldives fails to vaccinate 90 percent of the population by August". The Edition. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ↑ Abdulla, Lamya (6 December 2021). "Maldives detects first case of Omicron coronavirus variant". The Edition. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- 1 2 Abdul Hadi, Ahmedulla (1 February 2021). "Positive virus cases from atolls on the rise, multiple islands under monitoring". Sun Media Group. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- 1 2 "One fourth of the population has received initial dose of vaccine". Avas Online. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- 1 2 "COVID-19: Maldives records 241 new cases, 171 recoveries". The Edition. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- 1 2 "COVID-19: Maldives records 465 new cases, 72 recoveries". The Edition. 1 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- 1 2 "COVID-19: Death toll reaches 165". The Edition. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- 1 2 "COVID-19: Death toll rises to 212 in Maldives". The Edition. 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- 1 2 "Covid-19: Maldives reports 123 new cases, 117 recoveries". Raajje. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 September 2021). "Maldives reports 152 new Covid-19 cases, 131 recoveries". Raajje. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 October 2021). "Maldives active Covid-19 case count drops to 1,591 as 99 more recoveries are confirmed". Raajje. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 November 2021). "Maldives Covid-19 cast tally rises to 87,784". Raajje. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 December 2021). "Active Covid-19 cases across Maldives drop to 1,613". Raajje. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 January 2022). "Covid-19 community transmission 71 out of 160 new Covid-19 cases detected from atolls". Raajje. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ↑ Abdulla, Lamya (22 January 2022). "President tests positive for Covid-19". The Edition. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- 1 2 "COVID-19: 2,754 new cases; 17,770 active cases". SunOnline. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- 1 2 "Maldives total Covid-19 case count surpasses 170,000-mark". Raajje. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- 1 2 3 Zalif, Zunana (4 April 2022). "Maldives Covid-19 case tally rises to 177,658". Raajje. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Countries/areas with reported cases of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19)" (PDF). Centre for Health Protection. 10 May 2022. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (31 May 2022). "Maldives reports 91 new Covid-19 cases, additional death". Raajje. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- 1 2 Udhma, Fathmath (4 July 2022). "1,134 new Covid-19 cases reported in Maldives". Raajje. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (1 August 2022). "Maldives confirms 183 new Covid-19 cases". Raajje. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (5 September 2022). "Covid-19 infections, hospital admissions continue to drop". Raajje. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ↑ Zalif, Zunana (3 October 2022). "Maldives confirms 40 new Covid-19 cases; 19 from capital region". Raajje. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ↑ COVID-19 : Case updates, Health Protection Agency, 31 October 2022.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (28 November 2022). "Maldives confirms 34 new Covid-19 cases, nine hospital admissions". Raajje. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ↑ Udhma, Fathmath (2 January 2023). "Maldives confirms 15 new Covid-19 cases". Raajje. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- 1 2 Zalif, Zunana (11 July 2023). "Just four Covid-19 cases confirmed in three weeks". Raajje. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ↑ "COVID-19 LOCAL UPDATES". Ministry of Health. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives builds coronavirus quarantine resort". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- 1 2 Davis, Dominic-Madori. "The Maldives government turned an abandoned island into a 'luxury' coronavirus quarantine facility". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives converts luxury resorts to coronavirus quarantine centers". Nikkei Asian Review. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ↑ "Maldives: Covid-19 Exposes Abuse of Migrants". Human Rights Watch. 25 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to COVID-19 pandemic in the Maldives.
- Official website
- "COVID-19 pandemic - Maldives". Global-Monitoring.com.
- "Maldives Overview". Corona Tracker.
- "Maldives response to covid-19" (PDF). World Health Organization. 9 July 2020.
- "Covid-19 Clip art source". Covid-19 3D art. 4 April 2020.
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