Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1238298
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 APRIL 2020 NEWS KURT SANSONE MALTA has so far registered 443 cases of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic early last month with 12 new positive cases registered on Tuesday. Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said another 24 people have recov- ered, bringing the total of recovered cases to 150. One person remains in ITU on a venti- lator but his condition is good. Malta had three deaths so far from COVID-19. The new cases include three more people from the Hal Far open centre, which is cur- rently under mandatory quarantine. There were 41 cases in total at the migrant open centre since the first cases were recorded there more than a fortnight ago. The centre houses more than 1,000 mi- grants and the initial 14-day quarantine pe- riod was extended for another two weeks. The country has been experiencing a slowdown in the number of new cases over the past few days but despite the positive results, the health authorities have insisted social distancing measures must be respect- ed. Gauci said there was still community spread going on. Asked whether she was considering in- troducing fines for people who miss swab- bing tests, Gauci said the authorities were "speaking to these people to try and under- stand" why they did not turn up. She was non-committal on whether fines should be introduced. On Monday, she appealed on people who had booked swabbing appointments not to miss their test after several individuals failed to turn up over the weekend. The situation has health officials worried because even if the people stopped having symptoms, they could still be infectious. New cases include 81-year-old The new cases registered on Tuesday in- clude three men from the Hal Far open cen- tre aged 22, 30 and 41. They also include a family cluster of three - two men aged 34 and 32, and a woman aged 62 - who are relatives of a previously registered positive case. Another two people from another family, an 81-year-old man and 48-year-old man, registered positive and contact tracing was underway for the younger man. The only female case was that of a 27-year- old office worker. A 50-year-old Indian male, a 33-year-old Syrian and 38-year-old Ethiopian living in the community made up the rest of the cas- es. Gauci said the Ethiopian man first expe- rienced symptoms on 1 April and got in touch with the authorities but tests resulted negative. He experienced worsening symp- toms over time and a second test found that he had COVID-19. "It is difficult to say whether on 1 April the man already had the coronavirus and this was below the threshold to be picked up by our tests, or whether he had some other vi- rus and only later contracted COVID-19," Gauci said, reiterating the importance of people remaining indoors until all symp- toms are gone. Contact tracing was underway to deter- mine who may have come in contact with the man over the past 20 days. Four other people who live with him are now being tested. Coronavirus: 12 new cases registered Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci