Women due to give birth are resorting to getting a COVID-19 swab test every single day to make sure they can present a negative result once admitted to hospital.

Women must give birth wearing a facemask and then be put into a special ward if they are not certified as being coronavirus-free.

One pregnant woman told Times of Malta she was getting tested every day so that she can be ready with her result in hand when the time comes for her to give birth in the coming days.

However, she said that while people at the airport, for instance, were being given priority when it comes to testing for the virus, this does not seem to be the case with pregnant women.

There had been mothers, she said, who were swabbed before going into labour only to get the test result back after they had already given birth.

One new mother noted that after she gave birth, she was initially placed in one ward only to be moved into another some time later because her test result had come back. She did not have coronavirus.

Though uncommon in Malta, rapid testing seems to be available in certain situations.

According to a report by TVM in August, such tests were already available to those working with passengers on cruise liners docking in Malta’s ports.

“It should be the priority of the hospital management to make sure that urgent cases and admitted mothers are given a fast-lane for the results,” an expectant mother said.

“We are not talking of hundreds of tests per hour. In Malta there is an average of around 10 births per day, including planned C-sections and induced labour.”

Times of Malta has reached out to the health authorities with questions on this particular matter but no replies have been received.