A private hospital offering COVID-19 tests for €280 has carried out a total of 812 tests, with two patients testing positive for the virus, figures supplied to Times of Malta show.

Last month, as the number of patients testing positive for the virus continued to increase, Saint James Hospital announced it had set up its own ‘drive-through’ COVID-19 testing centre to “relieve the anxiety of the community” while also “alleviating the pressure on the medical community”.

At the time, public health authorities were still in the process of setting up additional testing centres to complement those at Mater Dei Hospital and in Luqa.

Two additional centres, in Luxol and Gozo, were set up some days later.

Since then, the private hospital has carried out an average of 20 to 25 tests for the novel coronavirus per day. Of all these tests, two patients tested positive for COVID-19.

Malta’s testing rate has made headlines in recent weeks after it emerged that publicly-available data confirmed the high number of tests being carried out. When compared to other countries, the number of Malta’s tests per capita was among the top three worldwide.

According to a spokesperson from the private hospital’s laboratory, different patients had been tested for the virus.

Staff members were also being tested, he said.

At the hospital, for instance, all those who are about to have surgery are tested for COVID-19.

Tests were also carried out at people’s homes. A number of the tests were carried out at the hospital’s drive-through centre at its Burmarrad clinic.

As part of efforts to combat the pandemic, the World Health Organisation has urged countries to test as many people as possible for the virus. It also considers widespread testing as best practice.

In recent days, health authorities have lamented a decrease in number of patients turning up for their scheduled tests. Hundreds, they said, had failed to turn up for the tests despite having been instructed to do so because they showed signs of the disease.

Asked about this, the private hospital spokesperson said this was also the case there and there had been a slight drop in the list of voluntary testing.

There has not been any change in the amount of scheduled tests since these involve patients undergoing surgery or who are in-patients.