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Mid-September’s Elderly Home ‘Powerful Peak’ In COVID-19 Cases Mostly Under Control, Charmaine Gauci Announces

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The worst of a couple of outbreaks in Malta’s elderly homes could be behind us, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci has hinted at during today’s weekly press briefing.

Addressing some of the larger outbreaks inside the island’s elderly homes, Gauci explained how most of what she referred to as a “particularly powerful peak” in cases on 15th September are under control.

“This is where we put our focus on, because these places are more critical,” Gauci said. “But now, new cases are slowly decreasing.”

This week was a very bittersweet one for Malta’s COVID-19 numbers, with active cases dropping from 639 to 434, but deaths steadily increasing form 29 last Friday to 38 today. All nine deaths were elderly patients.

Among the mentioned homes were ones like Casa San Paolo, where three residents were infected. Here, two patients have now recovered and one was taken to St Thomas Hospital.

Meanwhile, a total of 15 residents from Simblija Care Home were infected, but Gauci stressed that this situation here “has been controlled”.

Larger outbreaks were recorded in places like Casa Antonia, which saw 35 residents being infected.

Fgura’s large San Ġuzepp, meanwhile, remained the largest hub of elderly home outbreaks, with a total of 127 residents and 32 staff members being infected over the last weeks.

As for the rest of the cases, Gauci explained how the most common age group of infections is still relatively young.

While the average age group of COVID-19 patients has budged up to 45-year-olds, the most common age group remains the 25 to 54-year-old one.

“We still have sporadic cases, but most cases are being linked, and most of them are family members,” Gauci said, pointing to the fact that 21 new patients this week were family members of previously known cases and 19 more were from gatherings which included friends and family.

Meanwhile, 14 of this week’s new cases were imported, with only six of them being from Malta’s Amber List countries.

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Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).

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