Amid an alarming increase in wide-spreading common cold infections as well as Covid-19 cases, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has urged the public to be cautious.
In a publication on Wednesday, the public health authority issued some important precautionary measures the public may take to avoid complications from the wide-spreading common cold and Covid-19.
As such, the public has been urged to seek immediate medical assistance and consult a doctor if they are having common cold symptoms such as persistent cough, fever and sneezing for an extensive period or if they are considered high-risk individuals.
The public has also been urged to wear face masks properly if they have symptoms of the common cold, to practice social distancing in public places and to refrain from going to public and crowded locations overall, when exhibiting symptoms.
Further, the public has been pushed to frequently wash their hands with soap and disinfectants to avoid spreading germs from one person to the other. Individuals who are considered high-risk have been urged to wear face masks when visiting crowded public places.
At a time the authority has rolled out Covid-19 vaccination for children as well, the public has been urged to complete their vaccine doses as soon as possible to prevent complications from the virus. As such, those who are eligible to receive booster doses have been instructed to do so without delay.
HPA has urged caution as common cold is also a respiratory disease that can quickly spread if within close proximity.
The latest figures publicized by the public health authority on Monday confirmed that Covid-19 cases being reported from the congested capital of Maldives, Malé City, are continuing to spiral.
As such, over the past week, Maldives confirmed 84 new Covid-19 infections, out of which 73 cases were confirmed from the Greater Malé Region and the remaining 11 were detected from others including industrial islands, liveaboard vessels and resorts. HPA also recorded 17 new hospital admissions over the past week.
Maldives began observing a surge in the weekly Covid-19 numbers reported across the country over the past three weeks. The country’s Covid-19 case tally currently sits at 185,894.
Maldives reported its first Covid-19 fatality in April 2020. The coronavirus death toll currently sits at 311.
Statistics indicate that the total number of first doses administered nationwide has risen to 399,315 with this development, with 385,147 people having completed both doses so far. 167,677 people have received booster doses so far, with 1,543 having received their second booster doses.
Of the eligible population to receive vaccine doses in the Maldives, 88.18 percent have completed the first dose, while 85.06 percent have completed both doses and 37.03 percent have received booster doses.
Another surge in Covid-19 cases comes at a time the country has welcomed the fasting month of Ramadan. This is the fourth Ramadan Maldives is observing since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020.
That year, Maldivians faced major difficulties and immense losses from the economic downturn due to the restrictions in the face of the pandemic, especially during the fasting month. The country also observed a lockdown period during the fasting month.
With the alarming increase in the caseload once again, the public is advised to keep public and open spaces clean and always disinfected, on a regular basis.
Maldives has been experiencing a surge in common cold cases due to the adverse effects of the severe weather conditions. Hence, it is important to follow safety precautions. As places that provide healthcare services are usually filled with high-risk individuals, HPA has urged the people to wear face masks when visiting hospitals health centers and clinics for the safety of everyone. The public health authority has also urged the people to limit hospital visitations and not visit hospitals unless necessary.
