2020 coronavirus pandemic in Malta

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Malta

People quarantined at Mater Dei Hospital, Msida
Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Malta
First case	12 year-old Italian girl in Valletta. Her family was infected from her but no locals were.
Arrival date	7 March 2020 (1 week and 4 days) First locally transmitted infections took place on 16 March.
Origin	Wuhan, China: through Italy to Malta
Confirmed cases	48
Suspected cases‡	90 families+ (mandatory quarantine)
Recovered	2
Deaths	0
Total ILI cases	-
Official website
covid19malta.info
‡ Suspected cases have not been confirmed as being due to this strain by laboratory tests, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, the first case of COVID-2019 in Malta was found positive on an Italian 12 year-old schoolgirl on 7 March 2020. The girl and her family were in isolation, as required by those following the Maltese health authority's guidelines who were in Italy or other highly infected countries. Later, both her parents were found positive to the virus. Further cases have been found later, with a total of 30 cases as of 16 March.

Health authorities have through legal means enforced people coming from highly infected countries for self-quarantine, failing which they may be fined for public health risks. While strict measures are being enforced by health authorities, the Maltese government has been criticised over lack of serious preparation for an outbreak. The government responded by saying that the matter should not be politicised.

A mandatory quarantine has been imposed on travellers and those who were possibly in contact with those who went abroad. People with symptoms similar to those of the virus are required to also isolate themselves.

History

Health and precautions

On 24 January, the Superintendent of Public Health predicted low exposure due to no direct flights between Malta and China.

On 24 February, the health authorities announced that all passengers arriving in Malta were screened by thermal cameras. Two thermal scanning devices were installed in Malta International Airport. Passengers disembarking from vessels at the Grand Harbour and catamaran terminal in Marsa were also scanned. At Mater Dei Hospital, all patients with respiratory symptoms were checked for COVID-19.

On 25 February, the Ministry of Health recommended travellers coming from Italy to self-quarantine for 14 days and for all citizens not to travel to regions of Italy affected by the outbreak. As the Italy coronavirus outbreak proceeded south with the first case discovered in Palermo, panic buying ensued and supermarkets were emptied.

Maltese chandlers and ship workers refused to board vessels from Italy to unload cargo, unless they were provided supervision and clearance by medical doctors. The Malta Union of Teachers recommended members not to accept any homework from students who were unwell and requested students and teachers who visited countries affected by the virus to stay home.

Some work places requested their staff who recently returned from Italy to work from home as well as deferred non-essential travels to Italy.

On 11 March, a travel ban has been placed on trips to Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland, in addition to the ban on trips to Italy. Additionally anyone travelling back from mentioned countries must follow a mandatory self-quarantine. Disobeying the order makes the individuals subject to a €1,000 fine.

Measures for containment

On 12th March, the Prime Minister announced a number of measures including;

1. the closure of all schools, university and childcare centres for a week, starting 13th March - 20th March,
2. the closure of day centres for the elderly,
3. stop on all mass activities unless absolutely necessary,
4. all senior football games to be played behind closed doors. Other matches have been cancelled,
5. From Monday, the television channel TVM2 will be transmitting mass and the rosary prayers in agreement with the Archbishop to limit the number of people congregating in church,
6. No political activities will be held.

First case till local transmission

On 7 March, Malta reported its first 3 cases of coronavirus: an Italian family consisting of a 12-year-old girl and her parents, who arrived in Malta on 3 March from Rome after a holiday in Trentino. The girl was the first case, with the parents testing positive for the coronavirus later in the day. They had been in self-quarantine since arriving from Italy, and they are now held in isolation at Mater Dei Hospital.

As of 8 March 2020, 540 tests have been carried out. This includes all those who were in contact with the infected family. Other than the family, all tested negative. Reports of other cases were dismissed as dissemination of false information. A further 10 people were tested on 9 March with one positive result reported positive in the evening, bringing the overall number to 4 cases. The man did not follow quarantine regulations for the first two days, which caused outrage among those possibly affected. His daughter was found also positive, becoming the fifth case. The fourth and fifth cases were reported as being Norwegians living in Malta.

In the morning of 11 March, the 6th case of COVID-19 was confirmed with the patient being a Maltese man coming back from Italy. That same evening, the 7th case was confirmed and the patient was a relative of his who had travelled with him to Italy.

In the morning of 12 March, the 8th and 9th cases of the COVID-19 have been confirmed.

At noon 13 March, 889 tests have been carried out and 3 further cases of the COVID-19 have been announced in Malta, bringing the total to 12. All cases were imported from abroad. 10th case is a Maltese man, 45, who returned from Munich on March 6th, 11th case is an Italian man, 40, who returned from Paris on March 6th, and the 12th case is a Maltese woman, 30, who returned from Brussels on March 9th. Later in the day a first recovery form the virus has been reported.

As of 14 March there are 18 cases.

On March 15 further 3 cases of the SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in Malta bringing the total to 21. In total 1385 tests have been carried out, split into 722 tests on people who came from abroad and showed symptoms, and 663 tests on people who did not go abroad but displayed some sort of symptoms.

On March 13 and 15, the first and second cases have recovered from the COVID-19 coronavirus in Malta. This people will remain under quarantine amid revelations that the virus can re-infect survivors.

On March 16, Malta's Covid-19 cases have risen to 30 with nine new cases being recorded overnight, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said on Monday. Three of the cases are local transmission after people who came from holidays abroad infected co-workers. The three local transmissions are healthcare professionals, who contracted the virus from healthcare workers who tested positive after returning from holiday.

The imported cases are of a 56-year-old Maltese woman who returned from the UK, a 34-year-old Maltese man who was on holiday in Barcelona with another person who had tested positive, a 15-year-old Spanish boy who was stopped at the airport with a group of friends, who are now in quarantine, a 49-year-old Italian woman who lives in Malta and whose husband returned from Rome, a 39-year-old man from the UK who lives in Malta and a 19-year-old Maltese teenager who was with the same group that returned from Dublin and who tested positive in previous days.

At noon on March 17, in a press briefing the Health autorities have confirmed further 8 cases of the COVID-19 bringing the total to 38.

Of these 8 last cases, two were in contact with other people with coronavirus, four returned from abroad but put themselves into quarantine after their arrival to Malta, one of them work together with someone who was returning from Italy but who was not presenting symptoms, and the last one is unsure where he could get the virus because he did not travel and was not in contact with anybody with the virus. They found out that this last case was going to the gym, and he could have gotten it there.

External links

• Maltese Government announcement
• Maltese Government advice page