No new Coronavirus cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours while 13 patients have recovered, but as reported earlier the number of people who died as a result of Covid-19 has now grown to eight, Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said today.
Earlier this morning, the health ministry said that a 56-year-old man with chronic conditions passed away last night at Mater Dei Hospital.
It is the fourth time that no new cases were registered on a given day, the second time this week.
The first time was on 8 March, the day after the first three cases were registered, but that was at the initial stages of the pandemic spread in Malta.
The second time was on 26 April, at a time when the number of cases started to slow down as measures introduced by health authorities were making inroads.
The third “zero day” came exactly a month later, on 26 May, followed by no cases today.
The number of cases remains at 616, with eight deaths. The number of active cases drops to below 100 again, at 94, while the number of patients who have recovered is 514.
Gauci said that 13 patients are being kept at Boffa Hospital, six are at St Thomas Hospital while another six patients are at Mater Dei Hospital, with one of them at the ITU.
Over the last two days, 23 people have recovered (no details were give about the 10 who recovered the day before). There ages are: two between 10 and 19, seven in their 20s, five in their 30s, four in their 40s, three in theirn 50s, and one each in 60s and 70s.
The four cases which were recorded on Thursday, and of which details were given today, are all women. Two of them are carers at Karin Grech Hospital, both of Indian nationalist and aged 32 and 33. The others are two women aged 33 and 53.
Asked about the re-opening of the airport, Gauci said that the health authorities are working hand in hand with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) to come up with regulations and guidelines to ensure the safety of the public’s health. “We are looking at those countries that have less risk of transmission and we are working on the necessary protocols for the airport to take on,” she said. Preparations are in hand for the airport to be ready when a decision is taken for its re-opening.
Gauci was asked for the total number of swab tests which were carried more than once on the same patient. She said that for patients who tested positive for COVID-19, they have to take another swab test after 14 days to determine whether they still have the virus. She said that the statistics will be published later on.
Gauci said that the elderly and vulnerable need to still be protected and taken care of. “In the situation we are in, our message is that the elderly take care and are safe. If they are to go out they do not go out in areas where there are big crowds and a lot of people.”
Currently, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy, which are crucial for children with disabilities, are still not being provided. Just like these therapists, reflexologists are also in limbo as to when they will receive the necessary guidelines for them to start providing a service.
Gauci said that medical services which were stopped are gradually being re-introduced. “It is important to remember that these professionals must be prepared and given the right guidelines for them to work. As we have seen we did not just relax measures for restaurants, but we also began providing medical services to the public.” She stressed that training is necessary for these professionals.