A total of €7.35 million have been paid out in social benefits schemes related to COVID-19 so far, Family Minister Michael Falzon said on Thursday.

The benefits offered by the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity cover four schemes that help people who are unable to report for work or work from home due to medical conditions or disabilities that make them vulnerable to COVID-19, as well as people who stopped working in order to care for their children.

Permanent Secretary Mark Musu said that while in the beginning, a rush of applications had seen an average of 1,200 people a week seeking benefits, the scheme, now in its sixth week, is seeing an average of 500-600 applicants per week.

Over 98 per cent of applications, which amounted to 9,670. had been processed and 7,072 applicants would be receiving their benefit this week, with a total pay out of €7.35 million on coronavirus benefits to date, Musu said.

Additionally, 266 people who had been receiving a benefit stopped as they had returned to work, with a further 136 people stopping their unemployment benefit as they had found a job.