Updated 2.15pm with test data

Malta kicked off 2022 with its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections in five days, with health authorities reporting 1,030 new cases on Saturday. 

A total of 249 patients recovered while no deaths were reported overnight. 

As a result, the number of active virus cases in the country currently stands at 12,222. 

Data published by the Superintendence of Public Health showed that a total of 6,532 swab tests were carried out the previous day - meaning 15.7 per cent of tests resulted positive. On Friday, the positivity rate topped 17.8 per cent.  

The number of newly detected cases broke national records on each of the previous four days, rising from 1,298 cases on December 28 to 1,403 on Friday.

Patients in hospital

Of the 12,222 known patients currently with COVID-19, 99 are receiving treatment in hospital. Of those, seven require intensive care at Mater Dei Hospital's intensive treatment unit. 

On Friday, there were 100 patients in hospital with eight at the ITU. 

Vaccination

A total of 224,190 people have now received their booster jab, with healthcare workers having administered a total of 1,079,274 vaccine doses by Friday. 

That means almost 52 per cent of Malta's adult population has now been vaccinated with a booster dose. All residents aged 18 and over are eligible for a booster, with registration available online at https://vaccin.gov.mt/.

Authorities are also vaccinating children aged five to 11, as they race to inoculate as many as possible ahead of the scheduled reopening of schools on January 10.