An 81-year-old man with COVID-19 has passed away, the fifth coronavirus-related death in the country during the pandemic.

The news was confirmed by Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci, who also revealed that two people tested positive yesterday. The man who died was one of the two new patients.

The man who died was a resident at Karin Grech Hospital, and now more tests are underway among healthcare workers, patients, and other staff. This is the second Karin Grech resident to die of the virus.

The man had a number of underlying conditions. He passed away last night and was found to be positive after.  Gauci explained that several people within such facilities have died from respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are all tested after their death.

“If they also have COVID, it could be that COVID aggravated their conditions so we take it as a contributory factor to the death.”

“With people with chronic conditions, you can determine how long they can live for. If they have COVID it drops. So it’s considered a premature death,” she said.

Four more people recovered. The number of active cases is now 74.

Gauci reiterated appeals to wear masks and visors when entering shops and other commercial establishments.