Malta has recorded 57 new cases COVID-19 - the lowest figure reported since Christmas Day.
But four patients died overnight, all men aged in their 80s and 90s. Three men, aged 84, 91 and 92, died at Mater Dei Hospital while the fourth, an 85-year-old, passed away at the St Vincent de Paule home for the elderly.
According to data provided by the health authorities on Facebook, 134 people recovered from the virus between Thursday and Friday.
This is the second day in a row where the daily tally has dropped to double-digit figures, after 79 new COVID-19 patients were reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that Malta had detected 12 new cases of the highly-transmissible COVID variant that first emerged in the UK late last year.
Replying to questions from Times of Malta readers, Gauci said Malta has enhanced genetic sequencing testing, helping professionals detect mutations.
In separate news, Health Minister Chris Fearne said that Malta's COVID-19 vaccination programme will be brought forward by two weeks because of the arrival of the Astra Zeneca jab on Sunday.
So far, 33,477 vaccine doses have been administered, 6,457 of which are second jabs.
European employers call for calm
Meanwhile, the employers’ group of the European Economic and Social Committee expressed serious concern over the difficulties linked to the EU vaccine rollout programme.
Stefano Mallia, president of the group said it was "understandable" that tensions and frustrations would erupt over the slow coronavirus vaccine rollout and production delays.
However, "we need to remain calm and continue to maintain a high level of solidarity, as we did last spring when we were first confronted with the emergency of the virus,” he added.
In a statement on Friday, the group said that the EU needed to continue basing its approach on EU solidarity among member stats, and equally important, in partnership with neighbours and allies.
"In this regard, the Employers’ Group is against any restrictive action that deviates from free trade and resurrects borders. At the same time, it is crucial that our economy remains open, ensuring actual coordination to return to a full and well-functioning EU internal market as soon as the sanitary situation allows it," it said, adding that protectionism was never the way forward.