88 Covid-19 cases are currently in hospitals across the country, with 12 of those receiving treatment in Mater Dei's Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU).
In her weekly press briefing, which can be viewed at the bottom of this article, Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci gave details about the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total of 88 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19. 12 of these are in ITU in Mater Dei, another 12 are in Mater Dei's Infectious Diseases Unit, a further 21 are in other wards in Mater Dei, 19 are in Boffa Hospital, 16 are in St. Thomas Hospital, 1 is in Karen Grech Hospital, and another 7 are in a new Good Samaritan facility.
Gauci said that out of the 12 in ITU, two are below the age of 55, five are between the ages of 60 and 69, and 5 more are between the ages of 70 and 79.
The Good Samaritan facility meanwhile, she explained, is a new facility aimed at taking care of elderly people or people with a disability who live at a residence and test positive for Covid-19.
She said that the investment was made after a significant number of cases at elderly homes were seen in recent weeks, and that this way any patients in residences such as these can be isolated from others.
The facility is managed by a private entity, Gauci said. She also pointed out that if any of the patients require hospital care, they will receive it at Mater Dei, not at the Good Samaritan facility.
The briefing comes after 76 new cases of the virus were reported on Friday. 110 new recoveries meant that for the first time in a month, the number of active cases of the virus has decreased.
Currently Malta has 1,891 active cases, a total of 5,942 cases and 3,990 total recoveries.
Family clusters are the largest cluster
Giving details about the main sources of the past week's cases, Gauci noted that they had largely remained the same - with household transmission being highest (161 cases), followed by workplace transmission (57 cases), and social gatherings (15 cases).
Six positive cases were found from 205 tests carried out at the Malta International Airport in the past week as well, Gauci said.
She said that there are currently 61 active cases of the virus in Gozo.
"Individuals who have been in close contact with a positive case are to stay and home and follow the health authorities' instructions. It is important that we continue to be responsible and take care of not just ourselves, but those surrounding us."
The average age of the past week's cases has also remained roughly as it was in recent weeks, and stands at 39 years of age.
Gauci also once again encouraged the public to download the COVID Alert Malta application, which allows people who test positive for the virus to input a code, which automatically sends an alert to those who have been in contact with them encouraging them to book a swab test.
80,422 people have downloaded the application thus far, equitable to 16.6% of the population over the age of 13. 180 people who tested positive for the virus have made use of it so far.
Young baby tested positive; condition is good
Asked by this newsroom what is the youngest person who has been tested positive, Gauci said that there has been a young baby who has tested positive. "We have had one young baby who has tested positive, but the child's condition is stable and good."
Regarding positive cases in schools, Gauci clarified that any positive cases amongst school teachers and staff are added to the work place cluster. "We have had a number of cases at schools amongst staff. There have also been cases of clusters between school staffs."
She said that there have been very few cases amongst students and that so far in primary and secondary schools there have been no transmission of cases.
Gauci appealed to parents that if children are not feeling well they are not to attend school. "It is our responsibility to ensure that the situation remains stable, and if we see that our children are not feeling well, we do not send them to school. It takes only one child to infect the class."
Important to reduce and avoid congregation of people
On the topic of Halloween and the upcoming Christmas period, which traditionally sees large groups of people gathering together, Gauci stressed that this year people need to be much more responsible and avoid such gatherings.
"Traditionally children during this time go door to door, this year we cannot do so; we cannot have large parties where people meet other people outside their household. At this time, people begin planning for Christmas time, and it is important that we are careful that we do not have big gatherings at home where you can expose the virus to vulnerable people."
She said that if big groups meet, which are not family, the chances of someone carrying the virus unknowingly is very high and can place people at risk of being exposed.
We have seen numbers decreasing with measures, but too early to say numbers are decreasing
Answering journalists' questions, whilst Gauci noted that Friday's cases numbers are lower than previous days, she said it is important to not rush to the conclusion that numbers are going down.
"Once we introduced a number of measures, we have seen a difference in numbers, but it is important to remember that it's the measures all together that truly makes an impact. With a figure like today, it is too early to say that numbers are going down as numbers continue to vary."
She said that it is important that people continue to be responsible and follow the measures. She said that abroad the numbers have increased drastically and that such a situation can happen in Malta too.
COVID-19 pneumonia is the cause of death for the majority of patients
Gauci explained that the majority of patients who passed away due to the virus had 'COVID-19 pneumonia'. "Unfortunately such a complication can often lead to death for the patient," she explained.
You can follow the press conference live below.