79 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, the lowest number since 50 cases were reported on Christmas Day and the first time the number has slipped below 100 since 85 new cases were reported on January 3.

The past month also saw the biggest number of new cases in a single day, with 245 recorded on January 9 in what the authorities had attributed to a post-Christmas surge after many people ignored advice not to mingle during the festivities.

The Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci said on Times of Malta's Ask Charmaine programme on Wednesday that after the post-Christmas spike, there had been an overall downward trend in new cases but it was too early to reach conclusions and one needed to see how people react to mitigation measures and, eventually, vaccination. 

She also revealed, however, that authorities have discovered 15 cases in Malta of the UK variant of the virus, which studies suggest spreads 30 per cent to 70 per cent faster than others and may be more deadly.

The government last week extended a ban on the opening of bars and clubs and restricted the opening times of restaurants to avoid a repeat of the public gatherings seen over Christmas. 

138 new cases were reported on Wednesday, 141 on Tuesday and 124 on Monday.

In their daily bulletin, the health authorities said on Thursday that no new casualties had been reported. 144 patients recovered, leaving 2,545 active cases. The number of tests over the past 24 hours reached 2,944.

The number of vaccinations has risen to 31,633.