New COVID cases in Malta surge to 79, hospitalisations drop • Austria to go into full lockdown

19 November COVID-19 update | 79 new cases • 753 active cases • 13 patients in hospital, 3 in ITU • vaccine booster doses 87,802 • Total deaths 462

79 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Friday
79 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Friday

79 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Friday, figures published by the Health Ministry show. 

No new deaths were registered in the last 24-hours, as such the total number of deaths stands at 462.

Active cases stand at 753 after 30 recoveries were registered.

There are currently 13 coronavirus patients being cared for at Mater Dei Hospital, of which three are in the ITU. 

Until yesterday, 921,147 vaccine doses were administered, of which 87,802 were booster doses.

Austria goes back into lockdown 

Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full lockdown to tackle a new wave of infections and will require its whole population to be vaccinated as of February.

The country plans to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory from 1 February next year, while the lockdown will start from Monday and will be evaluated after ten days.

In neighbouring Germany, the health minister said the situation was so grave that a lockdown, including that of vaccinated people, cannot be ruled out. 

The European vaccination average is 67%. 

READ MORE: COVID 19: Malta taken off green list after spike in cases