The mother of a girl who is recovering from the coronavirus has publicly called out misinformation being shared on social media about her family. 

In a public Facebook post, Sarah Miller urged people to ensure they had all the facts before they started to “invent and speculate”. 

Miller’s daughter and former partner are two of six people who have been confirmed as COVID-19 cases in Malta. Health authorities have said that the girl did not return to school following her trip abroad. 

But official reassurances did not stop the online rumour mill from kicking into overdrive. 

Posts circulating on social media suggested that Miller’s son was also holidaying in Italy with his father and sister and that he had organised an 18th birthday party “with family and friends” following his return, while his mother "played bridge". 

“Sliema soon to become a ‘no-go’ area,” the post warned. 

Miller set the facts straight in a public post uploaded to Facebook on Tuesday afternoon, writing “the facts" are as follows:

1. My son did not go away with his sister and father!
2. My son spent his 18th birthday at home alone with me as he was studying for his mocks and definitely didn’t have a party.
3. My daughter and her father returned from Italy on Thursday 27 February and not 5 March.
4. My daughter has not been home at all in the past 12 days but was in self-quarantine at her father's house where she never ever felt unwell!
5. I have never played bridge in my entire life and I don’t play cards either!
6. Neither my son nor I have been in contact with either my ex-husband or my daughter during the past 12 days!

“So kind soul, whoever you are, before you invent and speculate and create a useless panic please get your facts right!" she concluded.

Her son continued in a similar vein in a comment beneath his mother's post. 

"Concern about your health is understandable. Lies do not help,” Alexander Jacobsen wrote. “I haven’t seen my sister or father in weeks. I haven’t been abroad since December. My father is in isolation. Please don’t create lies for no reason”. 

Coronavirus fears have led to a series of scaremongering posts and claims concerning the virus. The posts have ranged from fake claims about patients being secretly treated at Mater Dei Hospital to fake news reports imitating the appearance of Times of Malta’s website. 

Two days ago, management in a hotel in Gżira was forced to publicly deny claims that a guest had been taken away to hospital by staff wearing hazmat suits.