HPA: Positivity rate to be disclosed once a week

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has stated that the positivity rate from the number of COVID-19 samples taken will be disclosed only on Thursday nights from now on.

An official from HPA to Sun that by the time daily data is published every night, there are several cases whose location is not yet confirmed which will affect the positivity rate estimations. Starting from this week, HPA will be disclosing national sample positivity rate in addition to inhabited islands sample positivity rate.

“Weekly date will be more accurate than daily date. The weekly data published every Thursday night will be from Wednesday of the preceding week to the Tuesday of the week,” the official had said.

The official detailed that this is as HPA had started weekly data monitoring from April 15, 2020; which was date the first case of community transmission of COVID-19 in the Maldives was detected.

Despite this, the official said that the number of daily cases will be disclosed every night, as usual.

As per the sample positivity rate statistics publicized by HPA last night, national sample positivity rate as of February 22, is at 20 percent. Sample positivity rate of inhabited islands is at 50 percent and the sample positivity rate at Male’ area is at 10 percent.

In the last 24 hours, HPA announced 628 additional cases of COVID-19, increasing confirmed cases in Maldives to 168,124.     

Meanwhile, 1,028 additional COVID-19 patients were confirmed to have made full recoveries over the last 24 hours, increasing total recoveries to 151,319. 

With the new developments, Maldives now has 15,380 active cases.      

There are 23 patients in hospitals.