The number of new COVID-19 detected overnight reached an all-time high on Sunday as 78 patients tested positive for the virus after 2407 tests. 

In their daily Facebook update, the health authorities said the patients tested positive for the virus overnight, the highest number since the first cases were registered in March. 

24 of the new cases are from the St Joseph home for the elderly in Fgura. The rest of the new cases are still being investigated. 

Before Sunday, the highest number of cases found in a single day had been recorded on August 15. 

The health authorities are now dealing with 465 active cases after 22 patients recovered. 

Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 2,352 patients tested positive, including a healthcare worker who has contracted the virus twice. 

The cases announced on Sunday are still being investigated. The authorities were not immediately available for comment.

Of Saturday’s 27 new cases: 

- Eight were from homes for the elderly
- Five were family members of previously-known cases
- Two were of work colleagues of previous patients
- One was in direct contact with a previous case
- One was from social gatherings

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.