Healthcare workers found 199 new COVID cases over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Saturday. 

The new virus cases were detected from 3,100 tests, resulting in a 6.4 per cent positivity rate. 

Two further patients died, bumping the overall death toll up to 303. 

The latest COVID-19 casualties were a man aged 84 who died at Mater Dei Hospital and a 92-year-old woman who died at Gozo General Hospital. 

Meanwhile, a further 106 patients recovered overnight. As a result, the number of active virus cases in the country as of 12.30pm on Saturday stood at 2,526. 

Vaccination continued apace, with 2,357 doses administered on Friday. So far, authorities have administered 62,059 vaccine doses in total, with 19,828 of those being second doses. 

Malta is currently leading the EU in terms of single vaccine doses administered, data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicates. 

Healthcare workers are currently vaccinating 80-85 years olds, non-clinical frontliners such as police, those working in detention centres and armed forces. 

People who are classified as vulnerable due to a range of other medical conditions can expect to receive vaccine appointment letters as of next week, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said on Friday.