Common perception has us believing that coronavirus is deadly only to the elderly but one 27-year-old Maltese man recounts his harrowing experience spending two weeks in a Spanish hospital with the virus and how it almost killed him.

Matthias Kentzia is a healthy, active Maltese man with no pre-existing conditions in his late 20s who caught COVID-19 whilst living in Barcelona. Far from just contracting a fever, Matthias was admitted to a Spanish hospital where he battled the coronavirus and bilateral pneumonia for two weeks.

“I am not invincible. You are not invincible. The people around you are not invincible. We are all vulnerable,” he said in a Facebook post.

“I am not writing to attract attention to myself, but to attract attention to the severity of the situation.”

“Health care systems around the world are struggling to keep up and some are collapsing entirely. Thousands are dying each day and we may still be far from the worst of it.”

Thankfully, Malta has yet to record a fatality as a result of the coronavirus and hopefully will never have to do so. As it stands, Malta has a total of 156 COVID-19 patients.

Matthias also reiterated the advice that’s been echoed many times before but some still fail to adhere too.

“This is the best way to inhibit the spread of the virus, the best way to reduce the load on the hospitals, and our best chance at saving as many lives as possible.”

“This is not the time to be selfish. This is the time to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

“I know that staying at home is not easy. But trust me, lying in bed gasping for air is harder. Keep yourself busy, stay connected with loved ones, and stay positive. Be grateful, kind, and considerate and we’ll all get through this.”

Matthias’ condition is now stable and Maltese authorities are monitoring the situation carefully.