Ministry of Health has announced it is currently investigating the first COVID-19 related death in the Maldives.
Speaking at the daily press conference, Spokesperson of National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said the government is now collecting information about the case. He added she was given a proper burial by officers of Maldives National Defence Force in accordance with the guidelines from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Speaking at a press conference held at the NEOC on April 29, Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen revealed an 83-year old woman who passed away was a primary contact of case MAV126 who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 24. Elaborating further, the minister revealed her sample was taken by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on April 28, a day before she passed away. The result of the test came after she had passed away.
After contact tracing was conducted, the building she lived was put under monitoring on April 21, as two expatriates who tested positive for COVID-19 lived on another floor in the same house as her. NEOC said the husband of the deceased has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently being treated at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).