A 76-year-old female COVID patient died overnight, while a total of 203 people tested positive for the virus between Sunday and Monday.

The woman passed away at St Vincent de Paule Residence. Another victim, a 79-year-old man died at home on Saturday, the health authorities said. 

According to data published on Monday, 175 people recovered overnight, meaning there are currently 2,632 active cases of COVID in Malta.

The new cases were detected out of 3,345 swab tests, resulting in a positivity rate of just over 6 per cent. The positivity rate is a measure of the percentage of tests which are positive, and is used as an indicator of how widespread infection is. 

Details about the new cases are no longer being provided. Instead, the authorities are providing an update about the number of administered vaccine doses.

So far, 19,981 doses have been administered, including 1,198 second doses.

Malta has been flagged as one of the least strict countries in the European Union in terms of measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, according to a University of Oxford index.

On a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the strictest, Malta registered a score of 52.78. Finland has a similar score (52.31), while Croatia and Estonia are at the bottom of the list (50.93 and 50, respectively).

On Friday Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that a peak in COVID cases registered at the beginning of January was decreasing.

Her comments came hours after doctors called for a 9pm weekend curfew.