New cases of COVID-19 rose to 760 on Thursday, up from 717 on Wednesday and 353 on Sunday. 

Data published by the Maltese health authorities on an online data repositary shows there are now 5,640 active cases after a further 303 people recovered.

There were no new deaths. 

The health ministry has stopped publishing its daily COVID-19 update on its Facebook page and so it is not known how many people with the virus are in hospital or in intensive care. 

It is unclear if Health Minister Chris Fearne, who retained the porfolio in Prime Minister Robert Abela's cabinet, will resume updating the public on the number of hospitalisations. 

Charmaine Gauci, the superintendent of public health, told Times of Malta's Ask Charmaine programme on Wednesday that a subvariant of Omicron that is more contagious than the original is now the most common COVID-19 strain in Malta, accounting for 86% of new cases last week.

She also attributed the increase in daily cases to the easing of restrictions, increased mobility by the public and a cold spell.

She added, however, that the new sub-variant is not any more severe than the previous one and complications from the virus needing hospital treatment have not risen as much.

Therefore, the focus of the authorities in the future will not be on restrictions, but on emphasising personal responsibility, she said. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela has promised to lift the remaining COVID measures as the pandemic enters its third year. Several other countries are also lifting restrictions.