There were 124 new Covid-19 cases recorded in the past 24-hours, 138 recoveries and 1 death, making the total number of active cases now 1,392. The number of swabs taken over this period was 3,043.

Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Twitter this morning that the UK Coronavirus variant has been registered in Malta. He said that the cases are isolated and contacts have been quarantined.

Superintendent of Public Health Prof Charmaine Gauci, in her weekly update said that there are 3 cases of the new variant in Malta. She explained that it may be up to 70% more transmissible than other strains of the virus.

Of these 3 cases, 2 are foreigners who arrived from the UK on the 19th of December and tested positive on arrival at the airport. The other is a 75-year old woman. Prof Gauci said that investigations are underway as to how she contracted the virus.

She advised that from the total, there are currently 87 active cases in Gozo, an increase from last week, when the figure stood at 65.  This is the highest known number of positive cases in Gozo since the start of the pandemic. There are 5 patients in the Gozo General Hospital.

With the New Year’s Day holiday approaching, there are reports and photos on social media of long, long, queues of vehicles waiting to cross over from Malta to Gozo today for the long weekend. With the majority of farmhouses and other self catering accommodation booked on the island.

Prof Gauci went on to say that overall, there has been an increase in the number of cases from last week.

The age range for most cases in the past week has been between the ages of 25-34. The death recorded overnight was that of a 93-year old woman, who tested positive for the virus on the 22nd of December. She was a resident of the Good Samaritan Long-Term Care Facility.

Patients in hospital in Malta are: Mater Dei – 12 ITU, 8 IDU and 43 in other wards. 14 in Boffa, 7 in St Thomas, 73 The Good Samaritan and 2 at Mount Carmel.

Prof Gauci advised that bars and band clubs will remain closed until the 1st of February, they have been closed since the end of October.

The total number of cases are now up to 12,665. There have been 11,057 recoveries and now 216 deaths, the Ministry said. 511,899 swab tests have been taken since the start of the pandemic in Malta.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has advised that it will be reporting figures on a weekly basis – every Thursday. The latest figures as of week 51, show that the number of cases recorded for Malta is at 11,7144 and the number of deaths showing is 190. The 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 is 241.9 Malta is currently in 26th position in the EU/EEA and UK. Lithuania is at the top with 1376.1.

Public Health Authorities said that anyone who needs to take a test should call 111 to set an appointment, even if they do not have any symptoms. It is to be noted that due to the large volume of calls, it can take some time to get through.

All swabbing centres are open every day, including the one in Gozo, however appointments must be made on the above number.

The Ministry of Health called on the public to continue to follow the preventive measures so that we can protect the most vulnerable in our society – This includes wearing of masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.

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