With 162 new Covid-19 cases reported by sundown on Saturday, the country’s case tally has topped 83,494.

After days of reporting less than 100 daily infections, the number exceeded 160 on Saturday, with 106 new infections having been confirmed from outlying atolls, 49 from the congested capital of the country, six from operational resorts and one from a liveaboard vessel.

Authorities tested a total of 5,195 samples between 6pm Friday and 6pm Saturday, revealed the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Over the past 24 hours, the country’s active coronavirus case count rose to 1,708 from the previous day’s 1,686.

HPA also confirmed 140 additional recoveries within the reporting period, with which the total number of recoveries nationwide have reached 81,544.

Hospital admissions have also risen to 23, with five more patients having been hospitalized for further treatment, by sundown on Saturday.

Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. Since then, the death toll has been pushed to 229, with the latest deaths reported over the past 24 hours, when an 89-year-old Maldivian man succumbed to virus complications while being treated at the Covid Management Facility in Gaaf Dhaal atoll, followed by the death of an 87-year-old local male.

Over the past week, the total number of recoveries reported nationwide outnumbered daily case confirmed. As such 1,170 recoveries were confirmed nationwide this past week, whereas 810 new cases were detected.

The highest daily rise in cases was on Saturday, with the lowest reported on Friday at 84.

Maldives was faced by a fourth and more infectious coronavirus wave in early May, with cases rising to alarming levels at 1,000 on a daily basis. With the implementation of stricter measures, cases began declining once again, and authorities introduced further eases to restrictions in early July for the extensive government holidays.

Eases have been doubling with those that have completed both doses of Covid-19 vaccine allowed to travel domestically without the need to quarantine, with a negative PCR test result. HPA has since publicized a list of islands where the criteria for Covid-19 vaccination coverage conditions have been met.

The geographical advantage of being comprised of a scatter of islands initially enabled Maldives to keep tabs on the spread of coronavirus when the first few cases surfaced. Things spiraled out of control after a community transmission was detected in the congested capital on 15 April 2020 to which authorities responded by imposing an immediate lockdown.

Months later, authorities began easing the lockdown in phases, with cases going on a downward spiral. Things seemed to be in control until the new year rolled around and cases began spiraling once more. Since April 2020, authorities have been repeating a cycle of curfews, lockdowns, partial lockdowns and other restrictive measures in their successful efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

The country has been in a state of public health emergency for over a year, since 12 March 2020. It was extended an 18th time to expire on October 1.