Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1224129
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MARCH 2020 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI THE Superintendent of Public Health yesterday announced it had registered nine new cases of coronavirus, after health au- thorities conducted 233 swab tests on Friday. The total number of cases so far has risen to 73, as Malta started recording its first local transmissions on Monday. An elderly patient of 61 who was kept in the infectious dis- ease unit suffering from pneu- monia, is now in the Intensive Therapy Unit at Mater Dei Hospital, as his health situation has become more challenging. New cases include a 21-year- old woman whose relative re- ported being ill after returning from England. She reported symptoms on 19 March. She last reported attending uni- versity on 10 March. This is a controlled case with household members being tested. A 44-year-old Somali man who works in Malta, flew to Brussels between 15-18 March, and reported fever and chest pain. He reported to Mater Dei on Friday after being in self-quarantine since he came to Malta. A foreign national in Malta, 41, who was not in contact with people living abroad, was also infected. There is no clear in- dication of how the local trans- mission occurred, with contact tracing of workmates ongoing. A Maltese national, 55, with no travel history and no symp- tomatic contacts, reported symptoms on 14 March with fever and muscle pain. He worked on 13 March, a day be- fore symptoms emerged. A 25-year-old Maltese woman who returned from the UK to Malta also contracted the virus. She went into self-quarantine on her own in an apartment. Contact-tracing of those on the flight home is underway. A Maltese migrant to Austral- ia who went into self-quaran- tine after travelling here from London also reported fever. Households members are un- der quarantine. A Maltese woman, 49, who had contact with another per- son already positive with coro- navirus contracted through travel, has tested positive for the virus. She reported symp- toms on 19 March; two house- hold members live with her. A school staff member, she last worked there on 2 March. Su- perintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that there is no risk of contagion for those who worked with her. An Indian man, 30, unem- ployed, tested positive for the coronavirus. He lives with someone who has already test- ed positive for COVID-19 and the entire household was al- ready in quarantine. Gauci stressed on the impor- tance of self-isolation, stating that the risk of local contagion remains high. Coronavirus: Nine new cases, total 73 Public health superintendent Prof. Charmaine Gauci