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Saturday 23 Nov 2024
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
Health Minister Mohamed Ameen speaking at a news conference on January 13, 2020. The Minister stated that measles was spreading in the country and announced that steps were being taken to counter the disease thought to have been eradicated from the Maldives. (Sun Photo/Fayaz Moosa)
Arrangements to test for the Covid-19 disease that originated in China last December has been made in the Maldives.
At a ceremony held in the Health Ministry today, the World Health Organization (WHO) awarded the testing kits for the disease to the Maldivian government. The kits were handed over by the WHO envoy to the Maldives Dr. Arvind Mathur and received by Health Minister Abdulla Ameen.
Handing over ceremony of #COVID19 testing kits from @WHOMaldives to the @MoHmv
— HPA Maldives (@HPA_MV) February 20, 2020
Received 10 lab testing kits which can run 1,000 tests in the Maldives resulting in fast test results
This is an important additional preventative action against #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/Oz75v746kL
Minister Ameen stated that 1000 people could be tested with the kits awarded today. Test samples for the disease were previously sent to India and took several days for the results to return. WHO also handed over full gear protective kits to combat the disease if a situation arose.
No cases of the disease have so far been spotted in the Maldives.
