A Maltese man who contracted COVID-19 while in India is to be evacuated and brought to Malta by the Maltese government. 

The 47-year-old man is believed to have travelled to Delhi, India, together with his wife at the beginning of March in order to adopt a baby girl. 

According to the Times of Malta, both the man and his wife contracted COVID-19 while there, however, the man’s condition has since deteriorated and is now considered to be critical.

The couple appears to have contracted the virus as they were preparing to travel back home. India has seen the number of new cases of COVID-19 spike in recent weeks, with over 350,000 cases being recorded in the past 24 hours.

The surge in cases has seen the country’s healthcare system struggling to keep up with Indian health authorities even running out of oxygen for patients on ventilators. 

Government sources who spoke to the newspaper said that a decision had been taken to evacuate the man and bring him to Malta after his condition improved slightly over the past 24 hours. 

An air ambulance is expected to bring the man to Malta in the coming days. 

Do you know anyone who is currently in India?