The health authorities are planning to check the level of immunity to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) that exists in the population, health superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.

She said during her daily briefing that the authorities had finalised validation on antibody tests, which detect if someone has already had the disease and may have developed immunity. 

“Some groups have been tested and once those are finished we will go to another stratified sample of the community to see what level of immunity we have in our population,” she said.

A single case of coronavirus was recorded on Monday, based on 803 tests, which is a lower testing rate than the recent norm.

We will keep sending out the message about how to prevent the virus

Gauci acknowledged that the previous day had seen fewer people being tested than in other days this month but said this was a trend for Sundays.

She encouraged more people to get tested “because if we find positive cases we can control it,” she said.

Gauci noted that the reproductive number – the average number of people that each infected person has passed the virus on to – had returned to one after having gone above recently.

Her update followed the first weekend of hairdressers and restaurants reopening in the latest easing of restrictions. 

She said: “It’s nice to see them opening and working within the mitigation measures, everyone has the power to control the situation. You will always have a few people who don’t understand how serious it is but we will keep sending out the message about how to prevent the virus and keep people safe.”

The new case brings to 120 the number of active cases of coronavirus in Malta. 

Among the 11 people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 over the weekend were several healthcare workers and a patient at Karin Grech hospital.