41 new COVID-19 cases, 9 in hospital

Malta recorded 41 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest daily tally in six weeks, but hospitalisations remain very low.  Another eight patients recovered, bringing the tally of known COVID-19 cases in Malta up to 331. Nine patients are in hospital, three of them in ITU. This also reflected the numbers on Friday. Healthcare workers have administered 886,762 vaccine doses so far, with 57,208 of those being booster doses. Friday's figure was the highest since September 14 when there were 50 cases. COVID-19 cases are once again rising in Europe, with WHO Europe director Hans Kluge telling a news conference on Thursday that the continent is once again the epicentre of the virus. But health minister Chris Fearne said on Friday that while case numbers in Malta are increasing, the situation at Mater Dei hospital remains "stable" and most people were experiencing "very mild" symptoms. He also said that booster shots are to be offered to everyone aged 12 and over. Health workers started to be called in for their booster shot on Saturday.