The number of new daily COVID-19 cases dropped to 211 on Wednesday, as four further virus patients died. 

The four latest casualties were men aged 62, 68 and 83 and a woman aged 84. They all died at Mater Dei Hospital. A total of 361 people have died while infected with the virus so far. 

Wednesday's 211 cases - the lowest daily figure since March 8 - were detected from 4,053 swab tests carried out over the past 24 hours. 

Meanwhile, 193 patients recovered overnight, meaning there are 3,127 active cases in the country as of Wednesday. 

The first half of this month has seen highs and lows, with a record 510 cases on March 10 contrasting with 175 cases on March 1 - still more than three times the peak in the 'first wave' of the virus before the summer. 

Despite the decline, authorities have moved to tighten restrictions further, with public health chief Charmaine Gauci announcing that private gatherings will now be limited to a maximum of two households, down from the previous four.

Gauci made the announcement during Times of Malta's Ask Charmaine show. 

Vaccines

Vaccination efforts continued, with the number of second doses administered topping the 40,000 mark. 

A total of 4,584 vaccine doses were administered on Tuesday - a one-day high and only the second time that more than 4,000 doses have been administered in one day. 

Until Tuesday, 40,859 second vaccine doses had been administered out of a total of 130,861 vaccine doses.