Record 258 new cases reported, 2 new deaths

A record 258 new Covid-19 cases were registered on Friday, making it the highest number of daily new cases registered on the island.

The daily statistics issued by the health authorities show that 182 people recovered from Covid-19, meaning that there are currently 2,582 active cases.

The latest two virus victims are an 83-year-old woman and a 76year-old man who died at Mater Dei Hospital, bringing the total number of deaths up to 313.

In total, since the start of the pandemic, there have been 21,982 cases of the virus on the island, 19,087 have recovered.

73,644 doses of the vaccine have been administered thus far, 23,395 of which were second doses.

The total number of swab tests has reached 691,614.

Speaking in her weekly briefing, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said the vaccination process is moving along well and that clinical workers, those residing in elderly homes and those 85 years and above are all in the process of receiving their two doses of vaccination. Similarly, almost all 80-84 year olds have received their first vaccination. Those who have not yet received the invitation to get the vaccination are expected to receive it in the coming days. Those who do not receive this invitation shortly should call 145 in order to have an invite sent over to them.

Essential workers, non-clinical front-liners and police officers are also readily being vaccinated. With the vaccination process moving along swiftly, the next group which will be targeted is people over the age of 75. This group will receive their invitation to be vaccinated in the next few days. Some invitations may take longer to arrive than others as they are being distributed in batches. The vaccination process for this group will start on 8 March.

This week also saw the start of education workers getting vaccinated. Those working in primary, day-care and secondary are getting vaccinated from 12pm onwards, whereas those working in post-secondary education are getting vaccinated in the morning.

Vulnerable groups will also be targeted shortly. This includes insulin dependent diabetics; patients who are immunosuppressed; patients undergoing any immunosuppressive treatment including but not limited to the use of biological agents and immunomodulators; patients suffering from cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy; patients suffering from or who have suffered from cancer having undergone chemotherapy at any time within the last six months, and lastly patients on dialysis. Those in this group are encouraged to wait for their invitation to arrive.

Gauci said that those individuals who have taken a rapid swab test which resulted in a positive result are not required to take a PCR swab following their result. This is instantly taken as a confirmatory test and added to the total number of daily Covid cases.

Of the 258 cases reported today, 34 were positive rapid swab tests.

There are currently 130 active cases across Malta and Gozo’s hospitals: 19 cases in ITU in Mater Dei Hospital; 8 cases in the infectious diseases unit in Mater Dei Hospital; 47 cases spread out across other wards in Mater Dei Hospital; 4 cases in Boffa Hospital; 22 cases in St Thomas Hospital; 1 case in Karin Grech Hospital; 18 cases in Good Samaritan Hospital; 5 cases in Mount Carmel Hospital and 6 cases in Gozo General Hospital (with one case in intensive care).

Gauci said the UK variant is also influencing the rise in cases as of late, with 61 new cases of the variant appearing on the island. As a result, 8% of all positive Covid variants originate from the UK variant.

The seven day moving average stands at 203 she said.

With regard to clusters, the majority of cases are stemming from households, which has resulted in a total of 484 cases last week. After household clusters, 219 cases were reported last week stemming from social gatherings. Workplaces have given rise to 147 cases this week. Institutions have given rise to 33 cases this week; and lastly Educational institutions have given rise to 30 cases this week.

As of 25 February, 2,355 cases are active in Malta, whereas 153 cases are active in Gozo.

The average age of new cases is 38.9 years old she said.

Mortality rates are currently highest with males between the ages of 80-84 years.

Taking questions from the press, Gauci said that there are currently 14 people who have tested positive for Covid in elderly homes and are currently in quarantine.

She said that the UK variant is currently 70% more transmittable than other cases of Covid. There is one case of the South African variant in Malta.

It is difficult to distinguish the UK variant from other forms of Covid because the symptoms are similar, however she said that clusters exposed to the UK variant will spread faster than those that are exposed to other forms of Covid.

Along with the three vaccinations which are currently in use in Malta, Gauci also said that the Janssen vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) is also being considered to be implemented in Malta’s hospitals.