Updated 1.52pm

Seventy new COVID-19 cases were detected between Wednesday and Thursday while almost twice that number of patients, 130, recovered overnight, data released on Thursday showed.

Two more COVID-19 patients died, bumping Malta’s virus death toll up to 203. Information about the two latest victims was provided later in the day, in a separate statement issued by the Health Ministry.

The first victim was an 82-year-old man who tested positive on December 19, while the second was an 86-year-old woman who first tested positive on December 13. Both died at Mater Dei Hospital, with the man dying on Wednesday and the woman early on Thursday morning. 

The 70 new cases announced by the Health Ministry on social media were detected from 2,928 swab tests, resulting in a positivity rate of 2.39 per cent. The positivity rate indicates what share of tests turns out to be positive.  

There were 1,436 active virus cases in the country as of 12.30pm on Thursday.

Contact tracing teams are still working to identify the sources of Thursday’s 70 new cases.

Of cases announced on Wednesday:

•  23 are family members of known cases
•  Eight are work colleagues of known cases
•  Seven were in direct contact with known cases
•  Three were at social gatherings with known cases