[WATCH] COVID-19 briefing: 16 cases and 55 recoveries
COVID-19 update for 30 April | 16 new cases • 55 recoveries • 331 active cases • 1,761 Swab tests past 24 hours • Vaccine doses administered until Thursday 331,438
30 April 2021, 12:31pm
by Laura Calleja
16 new cases of COVID-19 were registered on Friday, the health ministry has said.
331,438 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered until Thursday. Of which, 105,628 were second doses.
Total recoveries stand at 29,548, while total cases registered stand at 30,292.
There are 331 active COVID-19 cases.
For the fifth consecutive day, no deaths were registered.
The total number of deaths is 413.
1,761 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of swabs to 867,282.
Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci is giving her weekly update.
A 93-year-old woman died overnight at Mater Dei Hospital, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 412.
Gauci said that Malta s 7-day moving average of new cases stood at 38 per day and only eight people were currently receiving treatment at hospital s intensive care unit.
Vaccination coverage rates | 85+ category 93%; 80-84 category 89%; 70+ category 90%; 60+ category 85%; 50-59 category 58%
She said 67% of positive cases were from the UK variant. The health authorities also traced four cases of the South African variant and three cases of the Brazilian variant.
The average age of those who tested positive this week was 42. Gauci said the number of deaths had dropped, thanks to the vaccination coverage among the elderly.
[WATCH] COVID-19 briefing: Two deaths and 27 new cases
COVID-19 update for 16 April | 2 deaths • 27 new cases • 30 recoveries • 583 active cases • 1,883 Swab tests past 24 hours • Vaccine doses administered until Thursday 264,658
16 April 2021, 12:31pm
by Laura Calleja
This is the lowest figure the island has registered since September.
264,658 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered until Thursday. Of which, 80,671 were second doses.
Total recoveries stand at 28,872, while total cases registered stand at 29,860.
There are 583 active COVID-19 cases.
Two persons have died in the last 24-hours two men aged 67, at Mater Dei Hospital.
The total number of deaths is 405.
1,883 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of swabs to 842,208.
Until the vaccination programme is well underway, caution must be advised against any unnecessary social interaction that could lead to a rise in COVID cases
Fearne said that over-50s can register online or through SMS.
He said that Malta will be reaching herd immunity by the end of June, and not September, as had previously been planned, because of the accelerated vaccination programme employed.
240,000 doses of vaccine have been given out to date. The authorities’ original plan was to have 80% of over 80s vaccinated by the end of March. But with the fast rollout, 95% of the age group had received the jab by the target date.
“We had said that we wanted to treat all vulnerable people and over 70s by the end of April,” Fearne said. “Now, by the end of the month, we will also have vaccinated all over 60s. And by the third week of May, over 50s will also have received the first dose of the vaccination.”