The elderly made up just 6% of all new COVID-19 cases detected last week, fresh EU data has shown.

The figures, which cover the week ending December 5, showed that while Malta continued to detect higher numbers of new cases than previous months, the older cohorts continued to be much less impacted than the rest of the population.

According to the data, published weekly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, just 40 of the 663 cases found in the week under review were patients aged over 65.

The older patients in this cohort, those over 80, made up just a fourth of the cases with just 10 patients contracting COVID-19 within a seven-day period. The over-80 group registered the lowest infection rate among all ages and at 55.5 cases per 100,000 people, the infection rate was a fraction of those registered among younger cohorts.

Those in their 80s were among the first to get their additional dose

Meanwhile, the rate for those aged between 65 and 79 stood at 64.1 cases per 100,000. The next lowest rate was 213 cases per 100,000 people registered among the 15 to 24 group.

The three remaining age groups – the under 15s, 15 to 24 and 25 to 49 cohorts – registered rates of 240, 213 and 248 cases respectively.

Considered among the most vulnerable for complications from COVID-19, the elderly have continuously evaded the recent spike in cases that has affected other age groups, with health authorities pointing to the vaccine booster drive as the reason behind this.

Those in their 80s were among the first to get their additional dose, with the majority aged over 70 being vaccinated for the third time by early November.

Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that all those over 50 will have received a booster dose by the end of the year.