Valletta [Malta], July 21: Malta has reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths and the highest positivity rate in Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday.
According to the ECDC's latest weekly report covering the 14-day period until July 10, Malta registered 36.8 COVID-19 deaths per one million people. Greece came second with 27.9 deaths.
The number of patients infected with the virus in Malta has spiked in the past few weeks but is on the decrease again.
The rate peaked at over 60 deaths per one million people in April before dropping and then increasing again in mid-June.
There have been 778 COVID-19-related deaths in Malta since the start of the pandemic and 219 new cases were reported on Wednesday alone.
Malta's estimated total population is 500,000 people.
The country's positivity rate is also breaching records. Currently it is 40.6 percent. Only Hungary, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have higher rates. According to the ECDC, Malta's positivity rate has doubled in a week.
Currently, Malta offers the second COVID-19 booster dose to residents aged 60 and over.
Source: Xinhua