The Maltese Archbishop in Albania, George Frendo, has been transferred to the Miulli Hospital in Bari, just days after he was admitted to a hospital in Albania after testing positive for Coronavirus.

Bishop Frendo had respiratory complications due to the virus and was rushed to the hospital. His hospitalisation in Albania followed a recommendation from his doctors and was announced on Thursday by the Curia in Tirana.

However, his health situation deteriorated rapidly, and he was transferred to a hospital in Bari where he will continue receiving treatment for his condition.

Sources said he is in critical condition. 

Frendo, 74, serves as President of the Episcopal Conference of Albanian Bishops.

Another Capuchin friar, Bonaventura Mossuto, was also moved from Albania to Bari.

According to the Italian media, it was the Vatican that asked for the transfer of the two patients, due to the limited health services in Albania. The pair arrived in Bari on a flight by the Italian Air Force. 

They were immediately transferred to the COVID-19 department at the Miulli Hospital in Acquaviva delle Fonti.

In recent days, the virus has risen sharply in Albania so much so that the number of active cases in November exceeded 13,400 with the country registering more than 600 deaths so far