Three new cases of Coronavirus confirmed; total rises to 12

Another three cases of the Coronavirus were confirmed yesterday morning, bringing the total up to 12, the Superintendent for Public Health said on Friday.

All of the cases are imported, and there have as yet been no local transmission of the virus.

Charmaine Gauci said the first case was of a 45-year-old Maltese man who flew in from Munich on 7 March. He developed symptoms on 11 March. The man is in good condition. His family members are also in quarantine but are not showing symptoms. Gauci said the man is self-employed but he had no significant contact with others.

Two more cases were confirmed during the night between Thursday and Friday.

The second is a 40-year-old Italian who lives in Malta. On 29 February he went to Paris, returning on 6 March. On 10 March he started feeling symptoms of fever and coughing. He tested positive after being swabbed. The man works online with no contact with people at the workplace. He had casual contact with two people who are in quarantine and are being tested.

The third case is a 30-year-old Maltese woman who is a healthcare worker. She went to Brussels on 5 March and returned on 9 March. Symptoms developed on 11 March. The woman attended some social events and the authorities are doing contact tracing. None of her family members are showing any symptoms. The woman went to work on 10 March. The risk was said to be minimal but all precautions were taken and a risk assessment was carried out yesterday morning. Those who she came in contact with her have been placed in quarantine as a precaution.

None of the people she came in contact with are showing symptoms. She did not get infected from the hospital, with all cases so far being imported from abroad, Gauci said.

So far there is still no local transmission of the virus, Gauci stressed. She added that one of the first cases, a woman, has recovered.

Gauci said more cases are to be expected and the authorities are evaluating the situation locally and abroad.

She remarked that a number of measures have been taken already, such as the closure of schools and cancellation of mass events.

The Superintendent added that the authorities are focusing on ‘flattening of graph,’ which means reducing the peak of new infections at a given time. “We know that 80% of those who will be affected will not have any problems, but the situation is different for vulnerable people.”

Asked whether the country is heading towards a complete lockdown, Gauci said a number of measures have already been taken up till now, such as requiring people flying into the country to go into quarantine, but reminded that trade cannot stop since Malta is dependent on the importation of goods.

Gyms should not accept sick people and hygiene measures should be in place.

Services will be introduced in order to deliver food and medicine to those in quarantine who have no one to help them, she said.