President's Office has revealed Vice President Faisal Naseem has tested positive for COVID-19.
Spokesperson at the President's Office Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said the vice president is in good health and is in isolation after testing positive. Vice President Naseem is the head of the Health Emergency Coordination Committee (HECC) tasked with controlling the increased number of COVID-19 cases in the country, along with the Health Emergency Operations Centre (HEOC).
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched on February 1 in the Maldives, with the purpose of inoculating the entire population against COVID-19. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Vice President Naseem received the second dose of Covishield vaccine in April.
Statistics from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show positive cases have significantly increased in the past month, with over 1,000 new cases reported on a daily basis. The latest update shows 24,867 active cases in the country, with 285 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at hospitals.