The Malta College of Pathologists has added its voice to calls for more restrictive measures to curb COVID-19.
Malta saw a record 336 cases on Tuesday, with the number dropping by slightly more than 100 on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Robert Abela on Wednesday said new measures, particularly higher fines for breach of regulations, would be issued 'within hours' but no announcement has been made yet.
The Malta College of Pathologists said it was deeply alarmed by the rapidly escalating numbers of Covid-19 cases over the last few weeks. Although the situation had not been under control since the start of the second wave, it was clear that the token mitigation measures, non-enforcement of restrictions and people letting down their guard was resulting in the rapid spread of the virus, it said.
The impact the UK variant of the virus has 'is still uncertain'.
"The message coming across from government and the health authorities seems to give the impression that the ongoing vaccination programme is the be all and end all of the pandemic. The vaccine is not a mitigation measure and it is not a circuit breaker. It will not reduce numbers in the immediate future, as we have already witnessed."
It said new mitigation measures should include prohibiting the mixing of families, reducing the numbers of people allowed to aggregate and temporary closing of non-essential services. Strict enforcement of measures is also needed.
"Mitigation measures must be escalated during the Easter holidays, including banning of family gatherings, banning holiday travel to Gozo and enforcement of strict measures in restaurants. Public gatherings must be prohibited and more emphasis needs to be put on online teaching. In addition, it is crucial that people do not get a false sense of security from being vaccinated, especially with the rise of new virus variants."
The college observed that Malta currently has one of the highest rates of Covid-19 infections in Europe and one of the lowest in terms of restriction measures. Hospitals, it said, are struggling to cope with the Covid admissions, ITUs are nearly full and worryingly, younger patients are now being admitted with complications from the virus.