After COVID-19 Victim’s Family Speaks Out, Health Ministry Updates Version Of Events
The Health Ministry has updated the official version of events leading up to Malta’s twelfth COVID-19 related casualty after the victim’s family flagged inaccuracies last night.
In its original statement on Sunday, the Ministry said the 85-year-old man had tested positive for COVID-19 on 24th August after he was admitted to hospital on 23rd August.
However, his family later said he was actually admitted to hospital on 9th August for a separate health related issue, was swabbed for COVID-19 and tested negative.
They said he remained in hospital throughout and his condition improved to the point where he was about to be discharged, but he developed a fever and was swabbed for COVID-19 on 23rd August. This time he tested positive and he passed away on 30th August after his condition deteriorated.
One of the relatives told Lovin Malta that the family had no idea why these details weren’t included in the official version of events and said they suspect he must have got infected while in hospital.
Now the Health Ministry has confirmed the family’s version of events, clarifying that the patient had tested negative for COVID-19 upon his hospital admission on 9th August but tested positive when he was swabbed again on 23rd August.
They said contact tracing was carried out in his ward and that none of the patients and staff he had contact with tested positive for the virus.