Malta registers one new COVID case, below-17s to receive Pfizer and Moderna

COVID-19 update for 14 May | 1 new case •  10 recoveries •  180 active cases •  Swab tests past 24 hours 2,017 • Vaccine doses administered until Thursday 406,921

COVID-19 Press Briefing 14/05/2021

COVID-19 Press Briefing 14/05/2021

Posted by MaltaGov on Friday, May 14, 2021

One case of COVID-19 was registered on Thursday, the health ministry has said. 

406,921 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered until Wednesday, of which 133,332 people are fully vaccinated.

Total recoveries stand at 29,577, while total cases registered stand at 30,474.

There are 180 active COVID-19 cases.

No deaths were registered in the last 24-hours.

The total number of deaths remains at 417.

2,017 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of swabs to 893,092.

COVID-19 bulletin

During a press briefing, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci appealed to all over-60s to contact health authorities through the government helpline if anyone within that age group has not received a vaccination appointment.

She added that as from next Monday, anyone above the age of 16 will be able to apply for a vaccination appointment, whereby Malta will be the first country in the EU to open the vaccination drive for the entire population. 

Hospital admissions have dropped to 33, with only four patients being tried at Mater Dei's ITU. There are seven patients at IDU, six in other wards, and three in Gozo General Hospital.

With regards to virus transmission, 23 cases this week were imported, while 20 cases were transmitted within the household.

Another eight cases were transmitted at social gatherings, while three cases were transmitted within workplaces. Another three were transmitted within an institution.

The positivity rate has fallen to 0.2%, meaning that across the seven-day average, only 0.2% of swab tests resulted in a positive test.

On summer festivities, Gauci said that there is no room for mass events or gatherings at the time being.

She said that there have been fruitful discussions at EU level on the COVID-19 certificate, which would be offered to interested persons who are fully vaccinated or have presented a negative PCR swab test, for purposes of traveling. However, she clarified that Malta's amber list is still in place.

On the imported cases of COVID-19, Gauci specified that these cases come about when they've presented a negative test upon arrival, but their symptoms come out during the 14-day incubation period.

For those aged 16-17, Gauci said that health authorities will be following current health advice and will not offer the AstraZeneca and Janssen to this age group.

Therefore, those aged 16 and 17 will only be given the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

She said that the COVID-19 situation in schools has been stable, with only two cases registered among primary schools.