191 new cases of Covid-19 and two more deaths related to the virus were reported by health authorities on Friday.

77 people have meanwhile recovered from the virus, meaning that the number of active cases has now surpassed the 2,000 mark again - standing at 2,047.

3,639 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of swab tests up to 536,668.

An 84-year-old woman passed away at Mater Dei Hospital yesterday having tested positive for the virus on Christmas Day, and a 77-year-old woman also passed away at the St. Vincent de Paule residence having tested positive for the virus on 10 December.

There are currently 162 people in hospital, 13 of which are in the ITU in Mater Dei and 8 are in the Infectious Diseases Unit (IDU) at the same hospital.

68 people are in the Good Samaritan Long Term Care Facility, 34 are in other wards at Mater Dei, 14 are in Boffa Hospital, 11 are in St. Thomas Hospital, 3 are in Mount Carmel Hospital, and another 1 is at Karin Grech Hospital.

There are 10 in Gozo General Hospital which the Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci, when asked by this newsroom, confirmed to be the highest number of active cases at the hospital that there have been at one time. “The number of cases at hospitals are of course a reflection of what is happening in the community,” she explained.

Malta is currently in the throes of yet another spike in cases, with a record-high number of cases being reported last Wednesday. 

Malta has now had 13,967 cases of the virus. 11,690 have recovered, while 230 have died. 

During the weekly briefing, Gauci said that the 7-day moving average currently stands at 143 cases which shows a rise in cases from last week, one which was expected. 

She said that this can be attributed to lower temperatures due to the nature of the virus itself and people staying more inside increasing chances of transmission. This is something that happens with influenza during this time but this year it was replaced by Covid-19 

“It is also clear that the increase is related to the feasts that we had during this period. Notably, the maximum impact of these feasts is experienced 5 to 8 days afterwards as this is typically the time needed for the virus to be detected from the date of infection so by next week numbers should be decreasing again.” 

Gauci said that the vaccine will also slowly help reduce cases, but vaccines are being administered in the amount that they are received and the health authorities are following a strict prioritisation list, starting with frontliners, elderly in homes and their carers. 

From next week 85-year-olds living in the community who are mobile will be receiving an invite at home. 

Those who cannot make it in person due to certain conditions and are listed under Home Care will not receive the invitation yet as the authorities are working on a system to have the vaccine administered in their homes. 

The Superintendent was asked if those who are not listed in Home Care but have difficulty with mobility will be able to have it administered at home. Gauci said that this option will be available to those who absolutely cannot leave their home. She appealed for neighbours and relatives to help those who have problems with mobility to get to the centre where the vaccine will be administered. 

The Superintendent also made a note on the school situation which has received a lot of attention this week at schools started to reopen following the Christmas holidays. 

She said that while health is a priority, so is education, highlighting the importance of schools staying open. “We have had a good collaboration with schools from the very beginning and our plan was successful as we were able to keep schools open throughout the pandemic and still control the spread.” 

She acknowledged the positive cases among staff but noted that it was well managed as there were no large clusters. 

“We, as the health authorities, want to see school carry on as usual following the mitigation measures, we have implemented. When school is ongoing, the behaviours of people shift in a way that there are fewer social events, so it also helps to decrease the spread as well by keeping them open.” 

This week, the largest cluster of cases related to households which is not surprising due to festivities (245), and the same can be said about social gatherings (77 this week). 

The predominant age group of positive cases was of 25-34 years old “which from behavioural rates we analysed are the most likely to have gone out for the festive season.” The average age of positive cases stands at 40 years old. 

The Malta Independent asked Gauci if there has been an increase in demands for swab tests following the spike in cases and if the authorities are keeping up with the demand. She confirmed that there was a rise in demand but that they are managing it well as they always prioritise those who have symptoms. Another factor that could be adding to the demand is travel, as more people had to travel now and needed a certificate to do so. 

She was asked to give an update on positive cases in open centres which she had said were free of the virus in previous briefings. Gauci said that a small number of new cases were found but all precautions are being taken to control the spread. 

Asked if there will be enforcement or addition of prevention measures considering the rise in cases, Gauci said that the authorities are still analysing what will happen with the new cases that are being reported since new cases come out between 5 to 8 days of infection. “However, we will include measures were needed as we’ve always done and inform you accordingly.” 

The full briefing can be followed below: