Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) has stated no new strain of COVID-19 has been detected in the Maldives yet.
Speaking at a press conference regarding reports of new variants of COVID-19 detected in some parts of the world, Spokesperson of HEOC Dr. Fathimath Nazla Rafeeq said the COVID-19 strain currently present in the Maldives is consistent with the strain first detected in the country. She said there is no evidence to suggest that an alternate strain of the disease is present in the Maldives.
Acknowledging reports from the UK that a new strain of COVID-19 is accelerating the spread of the disease, Dr. Nazla said a new strain is more easily detected in a country like the UK, where gene sequencing is carried out frequently. Therefore, she said it is likely that alternate strains are present in several other countries, although undetected. She also noted the new strain found in the UK is accelerating the spread of the disease, rather than causing new complications or increasing the severity of symptoms.
Dr. Nazla further stated the Maldives is currently preparing a risk assessment for the potential detection of a COVID-19 variant. She said the authorities are currently discussing the measures which can be taken to contain the spread of the disease in such a situation.
Upon confirmation of the new COVID-19 variant in the UK, several countries have suspended flight operations to the UK. However, the Maldives has not yet taken a decision on suspending flights from the UK.