The number of new Covid-19 cases registered in Malta has been low for several weeks.

This has meant that active cases have also dropped significantly, while the number of patients requiring hospital treatment has also remained manageable. Deaths from Covid have also seen a sharp drop; only two have been registered this month.

But the battle is not over.

This is because the experience in other countries teaches us that it is easy to go from a situation of stability to one in which the number of cases multiplies quickly.

The situation in the United Kingdom, for example, last week pushed scientists to warn the government that it should be prepared to re-introduce restrictions. In that week, Britain recorded an average of 47,000 new cases, up 18 per cent from the week before. The number of deaths reached an average of 135, which is a 16 per cent rise over the previous week.

Eastern Europe is also seeing a surge in the number of cases. Romania, Ukraine, Serbia and Croatia are all reporting increases in the past week, while the spike in Russia is also persisting, with records being broken on a daily basis. With travelling made easy these days, it will not be a surprise if other countries in Europe will soon report an increase in their own figures.

What is happening elsewhere seems distant, but it could also happen to us.

As we all know, since the Covid-19 pandemic entered Malta in March 2020, we have had periods when the situation was out of control, when our health services when under great pressure and when restrictions were in full force - although they never reached the point of a total lockdown. Then there were other periods in which the numbers subsided, the restrictions were eased and we wrongly thought that the problem was over - until the next wave hit.

Thankfully, the government's vaccination campaign worked exceptionally well, with most of us taking the jab. Malta has served as an example to many other countries in this respect. Once most of the population was vaccinated, the numbers quickly dwindled.

But, we repeat, the battle is not over. We would not like it if the virus had to rear its head again.

We all know that the virus and its variants spread easily, and therefore we must remain vigilant and careful. Although most of the restrictions have now been eased, and this has made life more comfortable, it must remain at the back of our collective mind that it will take just one activity for the virus to multiply.

The instructions that the health authorities gave us 18 months ago still apply, and it is good to note that enclosed areas are, in their great majority, sticking to the rules, in particular that about wearing masks.

It is never enough to insist that we should all continue to take the matter seriously.