Updated 7.15pm with additional cases

With the continued threat of coronavirus and a barrage of misinformation on social media, authorities in Malta have been using guidelines to inform people about how to keep the virus at bay.

Malta reported its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. The patient, a 12-year-old Italian girl, was in self-quarantine and will now be kept at an infectious diseases unit of Mater Dei Hospital.   

Later on Saturday, the health ministry confirmed her parents also tested positive for the virus.

The Malta Association of Public Health Medicine has created a six-step graphic on how to wash your hands correctly.

It suggests washing with water and soap, then palm to palm, between your fingers, focusing on thumbs, then the back of hands and finally washing your wrists.

It is also showing people how to behave if they cough or sneeze. If you don’t use a tissue, try to direct your face into your sleeve.

If you do use a tissue, dispose of it immediately and wash your hands. Try to clean surfaces and hands regularly with alcohol sanitizers. Try not to touch your eyes, mouth or nose.

It recommends not going to work or school if you are feeling unwell and staying away from hospitals if you have any symptoms.

The association has uploaded information from the World Health Organisation on its Facebook page dispelling some of the myths that are circulating online.

Among others, they confirm that hand dryers are safe to use, and that the coronavirus cannot be spread by receiving a package sent from China.