Malta has the second highest COVID-19 death rate in Europe, fresh data shows, as the number of patients infected with the virus continues to spike.
According to weekly data by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for the week ending June 26, Malta had a mortality rate of 17.4 deaths per one million people. Only Portugal had a higher rate, at 39.5 deaths per one million people.
The rate had peaked to over 60 deaths per one million people in April before consistently dropping for over two months. It then again started to pick up in mid-June. The increases can be seen to mirror spikes in community cases, although deaths often tend to occur a couple of weeks after rises in infections are detected.
In recent days, hundreds of new infections were confirmed by the authorities, with just as many other cases believed to have been detected through home kits. Those using such kits are not obliged to report their results to the authorities. In fact, health sources have suggested there are thousands of other cases in addition to those on the official list.
On Sunday, 500 new cases were detected by the authorities.
Despite the spike, Health Minister Chris Fearne has insisted the situation is under control, with only a few cases requiring intensive care. As of the latest update, provided by Fearne on Thursday, there was only one patient in the ITU.
Meanwhile, according to the ECDC data, Malta has the highest hospital admissions rate. However, the island remains one of the only countries to test every single patient admitted to Mater Dei, including those showing no symptoms of COVID-19.
The authorities have been adamant they will continue to test every patient that is admitted, saying this is crucial since Malta has just one general hospital and so they could not risk an outbreak within the healthcare system.
But hospital sources working on various wards have told Times of Malta it is now time for the rule to be reviewed and the island should now start following what is done in other countries and only test those showing COVID-19 symptoms, especially since the vast majority of people on the island have been vaccinated and given the booster.
One source said there are at least seven wards dedicated to just COVID-19 patients, while another said every ward has at least a few cases. This means healthcare workers must not only keep these patients away from others but they must also follow stringent procedures every time they need to attend to those infected.
Wearing of personal protective equipment, for instance, takes some 15 minutes, the sources said, time which nurses on wards often cannot spare because of persistent shortages. The shortages have also worsened in recent weeks as staff themselves tested positive for the virus.
Times of Malta has contacted the health ministry in an attempt to establish whether it is considering revising the rule on testing upon admission. However, there was no response at the time of writing.