According to the latest statistics released at 15:05 yesterday, 872 tests have confirmed a negative result, while 247 remain pending.

At a press conference broadcast on social media, Dr Ivan Muscat, who is leading the island’s response to the virus outbreak, confirmed that some frontline health workers had the illness, though he was unable to give an exact number.

He added that each of those affected was in self-isolation and that their contacts had been traced and isolated as well as a precaution.

Elsewhere in the conference, he reaffirmed that the Health Department should have “adequate stock [of PPE] for the immediate few weeks” and that more was on order, noting that hospitals around the globe are “going through PPE at a considerable rate”.

WATCH: The full briefing with Dr Ivan Muscat…