Five elderly men have died while COVID-19 positive, health authorities said on Wednesday as they announced 227 newly detected cases of the virus. 

The latest virus victims were men aged 78, 79, 80, 83 and 86. Their deaths lift the pandemic death toll to 556 people. 

With 353 patients having recovered overnight, the number of active virus cases currently stands at 2,823. 

Of those, 94 are receiving treatment in hospital, with five of those requiring care at Mater Dei Hospital's intensive treatment unit. On Tuesday, there were more patients in hospital - 102 - and five inside the ITU. 

Not all COVID deaths or hospital admissions are directly linked to the virus: according to health authorities, around one in every three deaths (35%) so far was attributable to a pre-existing medical condition. 

Vaccination

As of Tuesday, a total of 331,824 people had received a booster dose of the vaccine, health ministry data indicated. Healthcare workers have administered more than 1.2 million vaccine doses so far. 

Vaccination is open to all residents aged five and over, with adults eligible for booster doses. 

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