Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said that there are 11 new Coronavirus cases today.

This brings the total to 64, she said, adding that one of the new cases is from Gozo while another developed complications, with the elderly person needing hospital treatment.

Only two of the 64 cases have recovered, Gauci said. A numberf of patients so far do not require hospital treatment and are at home.

The man who has developed complications - the first in Malta - is aged 61, Gauci said. He developed bilateral pneumonia, an infection in both lungs, and although he is not in critical condition, he requires hospital treatment. His partner, aged 45, also tested positive. It is likely that the two of them were exposed to the virus via a work colleague who was abroad, Gauci said.

Gauci said that the man with complications is being kept in the Infectious Diseases Unit and needs to be given oxygen.

The first case Gauci spoke about today is that of a 69-year-old man who developed symptoms on 16 March, who had no travelling history or contact with people who had gone abroad. He is the first person from Gozo to contract the disease, Gauci said, and it is probable that he contracted the disease during a meeting he attended on 10 March.

A Maltese man, aged 63, tested positive after having been to northern Italy in the first week of March. He returned to Malta on 8 March, but stayed in quarantine since 11 March, the day when quarantine for people returning from abroad was made mandatory. The man developed symptoms on 14 March. He lives on his own and so the transmission of the disease to other people is limited, Gauci said.

Another man, aged 45, returned from Brazil via Istanbul, developing symptoms on the day of his return on 17 March. This meant that the health authorities need to carry out a contact tracing exercise to find out who was sitting in his proximity.

Gauci also gave details of two health care workers who tested positive. One is a 49-year-old woman who works in the private sector. She had no travel history and it is likely that she contracted the disease via local transmission. She developed the symptoms on 17 March. The second health care worker diagnosed today is of a 36-year-old woman who had come in contact with another health care worker who had tested positive in the past days. She has been in quarantine since 14 March.

A Maltese woman aged 71 who came in contact with tourists experienced symptoms on 16 March and has now tested positive, Gauci said. She is also the partner of another person who contracted Coronavirus.

Two foreigners who work in Malta also tested positive. A Spanish 54-year-old man who was in Madrid between 7 and 17 March developed symptoms on the day of his return, leading to a contact tracing exercise with regard to people who travelled with him back to Malta. He has been in quarantine since his return. An Indian man, aged 31, experienced symptoms on 15 March and has now tested positive; another three work colleagues of his already have the disease.

The last case listed today is that of the 30-year-old mother of the three-year-old boy who had tested positive in the past days, who is so far the youngest patient to be dioagnosed. In this case, there is a cluster of eight people who contracted the disease, Gauci said.

At the start of her briefing, Gauci made it a point to stress that people should stay indoors as much as possible and avoid congregating in public places, even outdoors. The spread of the virus can only be contained if people stay away from each other, and that workers who can carry out their duties from home should do so. The Malta Independent reported on Thursday, which was a public holiday, that many people ignored the instructions given to stay indoors, and instead met with friends and relatives in public places and on beaches. This, Gauci said, should be avoided as much as possible so as to reduce the risk of contagion.

"It is everyone's responsibility to adhere to these instructions," she said. Ignoring them means that people are putting "themselves, others and the nation at risk," she added.

Our strategy is to carry out as many tests as possible, and we have increased the number of tests that are being carried out. "We are now looking at intensifying tests related to the possibility of local transmission of the disease," she said.

Gauci also appealed for employers to instruct their workers to work remotely to avoid further contagion. 

“We have had the first complication today. There have been deaths abroad, and we can have fatalities in Malta too, so please once again I make an appeal for people to stay indoors, and especially for our elderly to stay indoors. Those over 80 have 25% chance of dying,” said Gauci. 

When asked about the importance of avoiding large gatherings, Gauci said that meeting outside in large groups is “extremely dangerous.” We are doing our utmost to flatten the curve to limit the peak, and this is done by lowering the number of exposed persons to ensure that our health system can cope, she said.  She appealed that people respect the guidelines, and enjoy their families in the comfort of their own homes. She said that most individuals have a roof or balcony and enjoy the sun and fresh air from there. 

When asked whether the virus could be transmitted through airborne transmission, Gauci said there is no indication of any airborne transmission in Malta at this point. “The virus is transmitted through aerosolised transmission, from one person to another.” She highlighted that a person is indicated as officially recovered only after the patient tests negative twice, with the tests done 24 hours apart. 

When asked about those healthcare workers who have respiratory problems or are pregnant, Gauci said that the authority is ensuring that those healthcare workers who have risk factors to ensure their own safety.