Five new cases, total reaches 134
Five new Coronavirus cases were reported yesterday, Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said, bringing the total number of cases up to 134.
Three of them were related to travelling, while the other two were locally transmitted.
Of the 134 cases, 14 are being kept at Mater Dei Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Unit, and another 18 at St Thomas Hospital. One person, a 61-year-old man, is still being treated at Mater Dei’s Intensive Therapy Unit but Gauci said the man is getting better.
Addressing the media, Gauci noted that the trend shows that on some days the number of cases registered is higher than on others, as happened yesterday. Yesterday‘s five cases are closer to the three registered on Tuesday but contrasts with the 19 registered on Wednesday and the 17 recorded on Sunday and Monday.
One case recorded yesterday is that of a Greek woman who resides in Malta, who contracted the disease when in Cyprus. The 28-year-old woman returned to Malta on 19 March and experienced symptoms a day later. This resulted in a contact tracing exercise to establish who was sitting next to her on the plane.
The second case was of a 60year-old Maltese man who was in England and returned on 13 March, experiencing symptoms on 16 March. This case was linked to another two Coronavirus patients who contracted the disease while in England.
The third case related to travelling is that of a 60-year-old Maltese woman, a healthcare worker who had been in England. She returned to Malta on 20 March and was admitted to hospital on an
unrelated case but later developed Coronavirus symptoms. She has now been transferred to the Infectious Diseases Unit. Members of her family who were abroad with her are in quarantine.
The two locally-transmitted cases are that of a 23-year-old man, whose case is related to another already diagnosed person, and a 26-year-old woman who experienced symptoms on 20 March when she was at work. In the latter case, the health authorities are checking other colleagues who may have been in contact with her. The Malta Independent asked if the health authorities are considering investing in tests that have been developed in China that provide a result in 15 minutes. Gauci described the testing process in Malta through swabbing, and this is worked through a VCR which captures small particles of the virus. This requires a person to have symptoms and have a number of particles in the throat for it to give a postive result for COVID19.
The 15-minute tests are known as ‘rapid testing’, and measure the immunity of a person. Through it, one can pick out people who have had the virus in the past. This does not really apply to Malta at this point in time, however she explained that these tests might be used later on.
Asked if it is safe for people who tested positive to quarantine themselves at home with the rest of their families, Gauci said that the health authorities always carry out a risk assessment exercise. If people are cooperative and trustworthy then it is easier to leave them at home, but regular inspections are still carried out. The situation at home is also taken into consideration. If the household includes vulnerable people, it is more likely that the patient is then kept in a hospital. She pointed out that they also issue guidelines as to what people who are isolated at home should do so as to reduce the possibility of transmission.
Asked if there are plans for selftesting, she said that all testing takes place in swab hubs, healthcare centres, in the emergency rooms and some even by the private sector. The health authorities encourage tests done privately as a case was discovered through such testing. She added that swabs from respiratory cases not related to the Coronavirus are also assessed to ensure that there is no chance of infection.
She pointed out that, when compared to other countries, Malta is one of the countries that has carried out the most tests per capita. This is part of the strategy they are adopting while still being in the containment phase.