Hospital admissions due to COVID-19 were more than double those recorded last week after the figure had tripled the week before, new data shows.

A weekly review of the global COVID-19 situation compiled by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that Malta’s hospital admissions were at 14.1 per 100,000 patients in the week ending June 19, up from 6.9 per 100,000 the week before.

The week before, the admission rate had tripled from 2.3 per 100,000 patients.

The rate includes every patient admitted to hospital who tests positive for the virus, irrespective of whether COVID-19 was the cause.

Speaking to Net TV on Thursday, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said there were 65 COVID-positive hospital patients, with 30 of them experiencing symptoms and the other 35 tested prior to being admitted.

Two people are in intensive care due to the virus.

The ECDC data is the highest in about two months. Malta’s admission rate has not gone above 20 per 100,000 since the week ending April 10, when 24.03 patients per 100,000 were being hospitalised.

Infection rates by age groups show that the highest number of cases was detected among the 50 to 64 age bracket, with 624.2 cases per 100,000 people.

Daily new COVID-19 cases have been swiftly rising this week, starting from 233 on Monday and going up to 488 on Tuesday, followed by a high of 543 new cases on Thursday, the highest since April 10.

There are currently 4,666 active COVID-19 cases, the highest since April 24.

Between Monday and Friday, 10 deaths attributed to COVID-19 were recorded, according to local data.

Gauci put Malta’s positivity rate at a “very high” 25 per cent, meaning one in four of every person getting tested is positive.

An average of 2,000 swab tests are being carried out every day, Gauci added, although these do not include self-testing.