New COVID-19 cases rose to 199 on Wednesday, the highest they have been since 202 new cases were reported on February 9.

The health authorities also reported another death of a COVID-19 patient, a 74-year-old man who died at Mater Dei Hospital.

The new cases were detected from 3,207 swab tests, resulting in a relatively high positivity rate of 6.2 per cent. The positivity rate is a measure of the proportion of swab tests which test positive, and is used as an indicator of how widespread infection is. 

A further 89 patients recovered, meaning there were 2,425 active virus cases in Malta as of 12.30pm on Wednesday. 

Charmaine Gauci, Superintendent of Public Health, told Times of Malta that numbers of new cases are continuing to fluctuate and the moving average is 156.

It was clear, she said, that there is ongoing transmission, with the variant having an impact on the number of cases. She appealed to everyone to avoid crowds, stick to their households and follow restrictions.