Bangladeshi patient is married to a Maldivian, does not live with other migrants

The Bangladeshi national who tested positive for COVID-19 in Male’ on Saturday is married to a Maldivian woman, and does not live in shared quarters like the vast majority of migrant workers in the capital.

The patient, referred to as patient 32, is a direct contact of patient 30 – a Maldivian national who had tested positive earlier this Saturday.

The new patient is the 12th person to test positive from Male’, and the 32nd to test positive nationwide. He is also the first Bangladeshi national to test positive from the capital.

Official government sources confirm the new patient is married to a Maldivian woman.

He lives with his wife, and not in shared quarters – as is common among the capital’s large migrant population – making them particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases such a COVID-19.

HPA has established that Male’ now has three separate clusters, but the index patient remains to be established.

Patient 32 is a direct contact of patient 30, who in turn, is a direct contact of patient 27, who had tested positive on Friday, after presenting to a flu clinic with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The cluster also includes patient 29.

The first person to test positive for COVID-19 in Male’ – patient 21 – has neither recent travel history overseas nor contact with any other previous cases. The second to test positive- patient 22 - is a toddler – the child of patient 21. The third to test positive – patient 23 – was a direct contact of patient 21 but had presented symptoms before her. Patient 24, 25 and 26 are direct contacts of patient 23.

The third cluster which has been established is linked with patient 28, who had tested positive on Friday. A direct contact of patient 28, patient 31 tested positive this Saturday.