An ageing population and the migrant community could be Malta’s two ‘Achilles heels’ in its fight against the pandemic, according to a local infectious diseases expert.

The elderly population is rather sizeable, meaning that if unrestrained, infection among this vulnerable group could wreak considerable damage when compared to other countries, author Neville Calleja argues in an article published online.

Calleja is an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and one of the country’s top infectious disease specialists.

The elderly 

Elderly people have long been identified among the most vulnerable in Malta, and the public health authorities have been urging those aged over 65 to stay indoors.

So far, the three people who died of COVID-19 in Malta were aged 79, 84 and 92.

Calleja told Times of Malta that the spread among elderly has, so far, been contained through aggressive contact tracing. Also, most of them have been heeding the authorities’ advice to stay at home while homes for the elderly are increasingly opting for carers to live in.

These measures, he said, had substantially cut down on the risk of spread.

Migrant population

The other ‘Achilles heel’ identified by Calleja is the migrant population that lives in relatively high-density centres.

Several have a language barrier and their employment conditions are not as flexible as those of the average Maltese worker.

These factors make it more difficult for them to be aware of the precautions they need to take against the virus, as well as to come forward to be tested with the possibility of having to go into isolation and forgo income.

Controlling infection within the migrant community was important because not all were in good health, despite looking young and healthy, Calleja said.

Migrants living at the Ħal Far open centre. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Failure to contain the spread among the migrant community could lead to a spill into the rest of the resident population, potentially overwhelming quarantine measures.

One of the centres - the Ħal Far open centre – was recently put on lockdown, and so far, at least 30 residents have tested positive. On Friday, authorities said that the centre would be kept locked down for two more weeks.  

Calleja urged NGOs working within the migrant sector to address fears among the migrant population and encourage collaboration with public health authorities to protect all of Malta’s population.