Health officials in the Maldives confirmed the existence of the new COVID-19 mutant, saying it is one of the reasons behind the recent spike in caseload in the country. In January alone, the country, with just a population of half a million, reported more than 2000 cases.

According to a report on Sun, officials from the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) -  the country’s lead agency to handle the COVID-19 crisis - people have also started showing laxity in following health guidelines.

Dr. Seena Moosa, the consultant at HEOC, said multiple factors are fueling increased caseload in the country, confirming the new variant of the virus is also spreading.

"HEOC conducted a study. It showed that the new variant is spreading. Around 30 percent, one-third of the infections to people are through this variant." Moosa said. The country is currently at a high-risk level, she added.

Earlier, the country managed for a long time to keep the virus in check. Active case count rarely crossed 1000 in the Maldives during the initial two waves of infection. The government has already started vaccinating its population and planned to complete it within six months.