Madaveli man who died in Thinadhoo tests negative for virus

The resident of G. Dh. Madaveli who died at the Dr. Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital in G. Dh. Thinadhoo this week has tested negative for COVID-19, confirms the family.

Hassan Ahmed, 87, had been admitted to the hospital as a Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) patient. His condition continued to deteriorate, and he passed away on Tuesday.

Funeral workers had opted against the usual method of purification in which the body is cleansed with water, and opted for tayammum – a method in which the body is cleansed using purified sand or dust.

His family has expressed unhappiness over how the hospital treated his body after his death, and has accused the hospital of delaying taking samples from him for COVID-19 screening.

The hospital denies the allegations.

The hospital has issued a press statement which says it had informed Health Protection Agency (HPA) that the patient showed symptoms of SARI, and under HPA’s guidance, took samples from him to test for COVID-19 on Sunday.

The patient had died while the hospital worked on making arrangements to transport the samples to Male’, said the hospital.

The family said that Hassan Ahmed had not travelled anywhere this year and that Madaveli had not been linked with any virus case. It accused the hospital of discriminatory treatment, and asked why, if the hospital had been taking standard precautionary measures, had not quarantined the doctor or nurses who had treated him.

The hospital said all ICU workers had taken precautionary measures in accordance with HPA guidelines from the moment the hospital took samples from the patient.

Health experts and Islamic scholars have drawn up a guideline on funeral rites for those who die from COVID-19. It instructs that the body of the deceased be purified not with water, but using the method of tayammum – using purified sand or dust.

Health Minister Abdulla Ameen recently stated that the health authorities were conducting COVID-19 testing for all elderly patients who die in critical condition, even those who were asymptomatic or had no apparent link with any confirmed virus case.

Maldives marked its first COVID-19 fatality last Wednesday; an 83-year-old woman from Male’ who was awaiting test results in self-isolation following direct contact with a positive case. Her test results came back positive after her death.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maldives has risen to 280.