A spike in COVID-19 cases following the mid-August break seems unlikely, according to medical sources.

Earlier in the month, public health chief Charmaine Gauci told Times of Malta the authorities were geared up to tackle any increase in cases. At the time, small surges were being seen and the rate of positive cases from tests had also risen slightly.

But nearly two weeks since the popular Santa Marija holiday, the number of new COVID-19 cases has plateaued, with sources in the health sector confident a post-holiday spike is now unlikely.

Healthcare workers, however, say it is still too early to tell whether there will be an increase in the number of people in hospital since there is a lag between the detection of cases and hospitalisation.

The sources say that while the Delta variant, now dominant in Malta, is far more contagious than the previous variants, the high vaccination rate appears to have had a clear impact in terms of keeping cases low. 

Over 90% of the local population is fully vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the world.

The authorities are now looking at administering booster doses, starting with those in care homes and the immunocompromised in mid-September.

The government has yet to unveil any plans for booster doses for the rest of the population. In Israel, the authorities are already offering them to anyone over 30.

Meanwhile, in their weekly update, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows Malta’s 14-day case notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants at 180.54, down slightly from 182.87.

The deaths rate has remained constant at 15.55 per 1,000,000 inhabitants.

For the second week running, Malta remained on the ECDC’s orange travel list after spending weeks on the EU diseases agency’s red travel list.