Twelve COVID-19 patients are in intensive care, Charmaine Gauci confirmed on Friday, one of the highest numbers since the pandemic hit the island in March.
Three of the patients are under the age of 50.
The Superintendent of Public Health gave details on the COVID-19 situation in Malta during her weekly televised update.
The health briefing kicked off just moments after the health authorities announced 121 new cases were registered overnight. A further 55 patients have recovered.
The new cases were detected from 2,685 swab tests.
Malta now has 1,770 active cases. The R factor is currently lower than 2 and hovering around the 1.5 mark, Gauci said.
The seven-day moving average is around 140 cases.
This figure, she said, was "very high" and was reflected in hospital admissions.
The most common clusters are still the family and workplace, though a number of other clusters continue to be reported. Eleven cases were imported.
There are 44 active cases in Gozo.
The majority of the new cases had respiratory symptoms - fever, sore throat and cough. Some also had loss of taste and smell or diarrhoea, Gauci said.
Fatigue seems to be the symptom that lingers most, she added.
Patients with no symptoms have also been registered.
Clusters in homes for the elderly 'under control'
The younger age groups continue to be the most prevalent among positive cases, with the average age throughout the week being 38.
Cases in homes for the elderly have become less common, Gauci added, with only a few cases being detected.
When these elderly patients test positive for the virus, they are immediately isolated to ensure the spread is controlled, she explained.
She described spread in the community as being "very serious" and urged the proper use of masks and conformity with social distancing measures to help control it.
'Don't look for a way not to wear mask'
Giving a breakdown of the rules related to mask-wearing, Gauci said people should not try to find a way out of wearing a mask. Masks had been proven to help control the spread. Everyone should be following the rules, she insisted.
A mask must be worn by people going for a walk, even if it is to exercise, she clarified after questions arose as to whether this is necessary.
The number of people manning the phones at the COVID-19 call centre had been boosted. She again urged people to follow all instructions, especially when someone tests positive for the virus.
"If we tell you that you are positive, stay home. And until we call you, try to think of people you might have been in touch with. This helps us speed up the contact tracing procedures," she said.
On the contact tracing app, Gauci said 129 patients who make use of it have tested positive for the virus. This, she said, made contact tracing easier.
More people had joined the contact tracing team, including several volunteers, resulting in a doubling of the number people contacted over the past week.
Rapid tests a form of 'screening'
Gauci said the rapid tests will provide results speedily, adding however that a further swab test would have to be taken to confirm the result.
The authorities are currently in the final stages of reviewing the tests before they are rolled out next week.
Asked whether she believes masks on their own will actually result in the numbers going down, Gauci said it was crucial to keep in mind that the measures are most effective when they are all adhered to.
On whether bars and restaurants will be shuttered, Gauci said the restaurant concept were not as risky as bars, which was why more measures had been introduced to ensure bars follow the same procedures.
A total of 48 people have been fined for leaving their homes while infected since the start of the pandemic in March.
Some 200 people have been caught failing to self-isolate when they should have been at home in quarantine.
Over 66,000 inspections have been carried out since March, Gauci added.
Hospital admissions:
Twelve in ITU
Five at the Infectious Diseases Unit
Twenty-two in other Mater Dei wards
Twenty-five at the Boffa Hospital
Sixteen at St Thomas Hospital
One at Karin Grech Hospital
One at Mount Carmel