Malta: registers the second case of the Delta variant
LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed today that Malta has registered the second case of the Delta variant. The first case was detected in early June. According to the Health Minister, the local authorities are investigating and it is not yet clear whether it has been imported or whether it is somehow linked to the first case. The second case of the variant was detected in recent days, Fearne said, meaning that two out of the 45 active cases are infected with the Delta variant. European countries, including Malta, are worried about the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant which evidence suggests is around 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant first found in England, causing more hospitalisations. Minister Fearne added that “the prediction is that within six or seven weeks, up to 90% of all new cases in Europe will of the Indian variant. There is no better way to do so by getting vaccinated.” Speaking in Parliament, 73% of the adult population in Malta is fully vaccinated, however the Maltese government is aiming at an 85% rate to strengthen herd immunity. 664,859 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to date, with 320,604 people being fully vaccinated.
In the last 24 hours, the health authorities confirmed five new cases of Covid-19. No new recoveries were reported. The total number of active cases now stands at 45.
(ITALPRESS).
Source: medNews