A public health consultant has urged people to avoid travelling and to self-isolate at the very first sign of symptoms.

Speaking to Newsbook, Tanya Melillo from the Infectious Diseases Unit also warned that Mater Dei Hospital is “close to breaking point.”

Melillo said the increasing Covid-19 hospitalisations are putting great strain on the hospital which, at this time of the year is already very busy with influenza patients and people suffering from other conditions.

She urged people to follow covid protocols and “avoid travelling as much as possible."

Anyone experiencing a simple sore throat or runny nose should isolate as they would likely have Covid, she said.

The Omicron variant is likely the reason behind the skyrocketing numbers, although more testing needs to be done to confirm this.  

Melillo warned that numbers will keep increasing and will definitely not go down until the end of the year.

She said that people are gathering in large numbers. Instead, they should go out with immediate family in open spaces.

Melillo also said the booster is working, given that older patients are not getting sick as much.

582 new cases were found on Wednesday, the highest daily tally since the pandemic began.