The local COVID-19 infection rate among the over 80s has reached an all-time high despite cases dropping in all other age groups, according to fresh EU data.

The figure in the 80s age group for the week ending January 16 was 1,235.6 cases per 100,000 people, the highest since the start of the pandemic in 2020 and a significant increase over the previous week when it stood at 1,028.2 cases.

The rate has been climbing since early December when it was registered at a mere 55.3 cases per 100,000.

The weekly review published by the European Centre for Disease and Prevention Control otherwise confirmed the general drop in cases seen in the health authorities’ daily update in recent weeks.

The weekly infection rates for the different age groups reflect the drop in numbers but the rate among the over 80s is the third highest. The highest number of daily cases continues to be detected among the 25 to 49 cohort, at 2,066.7 per 100,000 people for the week under review. Those aged between 15 and 24 had the second-highest rate at 1,999.1 cases.

The elderly were among the first to start receiving the booster vaccine dose back in September.

Initially, this age group seemed to have been spared the spike and few new cases were detected among it. However, the situation has changed once the highly transmissible Omicron variant was confirmed in Malta in December.

The health authorities have repeatedly said the elderly are among the most vulnerable for COVID-19 complications and that a spike in the general community is also bound to be reflected in the number of cases among the elderly.