COVID-19 was the main cause of death for 65% of victims this month, while the remainder died due to other pre-existing conditions, Public Health has confirmed.

Deaths linked to the virus have risen sharply, with 56 people recorded to have died while positive for COVID-19 from the beginning of the year until January 23.

Of these, COVID-19 was the primary cause of death for 37 patients, according to Public Health consultant Tanya Melillo.

The remaining 35%, 19 patients, died from another pre-existing condition, with Melillo describing the COVID-19 infection in these cases as a “coincidence”.

Deaths linked to the virus have risen sharply

“The virus was not the main cause, although these patients were suffering from the infection and this would have taken its toll on them,” Melillo added.

Doctors registering deaths record the cause of death and other factors that may have contributed to it.

COVID-19 could have been a contributing cause and could aggravate the main condition as the weakened body fights another illness, especially in the case of the elderly, she explained.

Both deaths caused by COVID-19 and where the virus is a contributing factor are included in the daily tally.

Of the 37 deaths directly resulting from COVID-19, half were fully vaccinated, meaning they had two jabs and a booster dose two weeks before death, Melillo told Times of Malta.

The other half were not fully vaccinated, including eight who were not inoculated at all.

Melillo described as “high” the fact that almost a quarter of the people whose deaths were directly caused by COVID-19 this year were never vaccinated and claimed that these eight deaths could have been avoided.

The number of deaths would be much worse if there was no vaccine

Asked about the fact that around 19 victims were fully vaccinated, Melillo said this was a “relatively small” figure and some patients would still succumb to the virus.

The figure had to be compared to other similar respiratory infections like influenza, she said.

Even here, deaths occurred despite vaccination, Melillo said, adding that age also had to be taken into account.

The number of deaths would be much worse if there was no vaccine, Melillo insisted.

“The booster is working and still preventing people from dying due to COVID-19, especially among the elderly and the vulnerable,” she said.

In December, only eight people died while COVID-19 positive. However, Omicron infected so many people that it was expected deaths related to the virus would rise two to four weeks after the high community infection rates.