[WATCH] Two new cases of COVID-19 with no symptoms, 6 recoveries in last 24 hours

Two new cases of COVID-19 were registered overnight with both individuals showing no symptoms, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.

The first case was of a woman who was tested as per procedure before undergoing surgery at Mater Dei Hospital and the second was of a woman who was offered the test when she took her child to be tested because of symptoms. The mother, who had no symptoms, tested positive, while the child tested negative. This stressed the message that positive persons can still be asymptomatic, she said, adding that intensive testing was being carried out on asymptomatic people too.

Children are not being affected as much as adults, Gauci said. So far only 18 children - 3.7% of cases had been infected in Malta. She added, however, that while children were not as vulnerable to the virus, they could still transmit it..

Gauci said 1,022 tests were carried out. Malta continued to register more recoveries, 6 more bringing the total of recoveries to 413, with the number of active cases now standing at 68.

The numbers were stable, Gauci remarked .

She stressed the importance of staying at home in order to protect the vulnerable. Vulnerable people should stay home and go out only for essentials, Gauci said. “We kept our numbers low because we protected the vulnerable. The elderly should not go outside unless strictly necessary, Gauci said, appealing to their neighbours and friends to go shopping for them to make sure they get what they need and stay safe.

“We’re still at the stage where we need to protect the vulnerable,” she said.