A total of 1,403 patients tested positive for COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, the health authorities announced in their daily update as they also confirmed a 62-year-old man died while infected. 

The number of new cases is the highest ever since the start of the pandemic. 

According to the data, 98 patients recovered overnight meaning there are currently 11,441 active cases. 

The number of patients in hospital stood at 100, with eight patients in the ITU. Both the number of patients in hospital and the ITU increased slightly overnight. 

The new figures, announced just hours before the start of a new year, come as restaurateurs said they continue to struggle with staff shortages and constant cancellations because of the rapid spread of COVID-19. This meant the New Year's Eve festivities could turn out to be the most challenging. 

The health authorities also said a further 7,161 booster doses were given out overnight, bringing the total number of people administered an additional jab to 220,977. 

Since the beginning of the vaccine roll out last year, a total of 1,068,765 doses have been administered. 

 

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