Former Nationalist Health Minister Joe Cassar has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that, by following WHO guidelines ‘religiously,’ the Maltese authorities were successful in flattening the Covid-19 curve.

Cassar, who served as Health Minister between 2010 and 2013, said he “would not change anything” when asked whether he would have done things differently.

“Those countries who did not heed the WHO guidelines are now drowning,” he said, adding that the role of the Maltese public in containing the spread of the Coronavirus was also important. “Overall, people were disciplined, and it is very important that they remain so.”

In an article published today, Cassar recounts his own Covid-19 experience. He was diagnosed with the virus on 5 April. He has since tested negative and will stop self-isolating and rejoin his family on Monday. Cassar says Covid-19 is a “very strange” virus since he has never shown any symptoms.

His daughter who, like him works at Mater Dei’s psychiatric department, was asked to take the test after one of her patients tested positive. Since Fabrizia lives with her parents, Dr Cassar too was asked to take the swab test. To his disbelief, his daughter tested negative, but the test showed that he was actually positive for the virus.

“I couldn’t believe it. I wondered whether they had swapped the tests by mistake.”

In his article today, Cassar recounts how he spent the following three weeks locked up in his own bedroom, and how he managed to overcome the challenge and make the most out of the experience.

He also warns that there might be others who, like him have the virus but do not even realise it due to a lack of symptoms. This is why the Maltese need to remain disciplined, he says.

 

Read about Dr Cassar’s experience here