Health officials say it will take time for COVID-19 death rate to go down

Health officials in the Maldives have warned that time would still be needed to reduce the death rate related to COVID-19 in the Maldives, even if there was good hope that positive case rates could drop soon with the stricter measures currently imposed.

Speaking in a press conference held at the President's Office last night, Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) medical officer Dr. Nazla Mustafa said that if the authorities did not take any measures that the positive rate could skyrocket to almost 7,000 cases per day, citing the latest statistics and projections from experts. 

The projections show that minimum measures could see a caseload of around 6,000 per day and that even in the case of middle-ground measures could see almost 3,000 positive cases per day at its peak.

"However, if we were to impose extreme restrictions, even at its peak we could have less than 1,500 cases. If in case of a lockdown or the strongest of restrictions, cases could go below 500 even at the peak," said Dr. Nazla. 

She indicated to the recent figures whereby 2,000 cases were tested positive in a single day before saying that the figure could be drastically reduced with the current measures imposed and that the authorities were very confident and hopeful of this. 

She did however, warn that the death rate may not go in parallel with the drop in positive cases. 

"Because those who are exposed to the virus, it will take time for them to become severe, get admitted, and die. So, even if the positive rate goes does, time may be taken for the death rate to go down," said Dr. Nazla. 

She emphasized that it was important to reduce the number of people being exposed to the virus even now. 

So far, the Maldives has recorded 145 deaths related to the virus, with the highest number of deaths, around 70, being recorded in this month. Active cases are currently at 24,033 with 289 currently hospitalized.