A 79-year-old woman infected with COVID-19 has died, health authorities said on Tuesday morning.

The woman, who lived in a home for the elderly, was only identified as a coronavirus patient following a post-mortem swab test.

Health authorities said the woman had initially been tested for the virus on September 26 as part of a routine screening exercise at her care residence. That test result was negative.

She however died two days later, on Monday, September 28, and was retested following her death. That test was positive.

The woman suffered from underlying health conditions, the health ministry said.

She is the 34th COVID-19 patient in Malta to die.