One person has died from Covid-19 and 142 new infections were detected after 56,668 tests, a positivity rate of 0.25 per cent, the health ministry said Friday.

Forty-one people were in serious or critical condition among 117 hospitalised patients. Just over 81 per cent of those hospitalised were not vaccinated against the virus.

Nine post-Covid patients continued to be treated in ICUs.

Deaths from the virus since the start of the pandemic in March last year have reached 527 while recorded infections reached 117,695.

The death concerns a 70-year-old woman who died on Thursday. So far 339 men and 188 women have died. The average age was 76.4.

Seventeen of the patients in serious or critical condition were intubated, two were in an ICU without ventilation, and 22 in high dependency units.

Of the 142 cases, 14 were close contacts of previously confirmed cases. They were detected in 251 samples.

Eight cases were among 3,209 people tested at the two airports and 33 were detected in 2,594 samples tested privately.

State hospital labs reported eight cases in 182 samples.

Sixty cases were among 30,186 samples tested in private labs and pharmacies and 19 cases were reported in 20,115 tests carried out as part of the government mass screening programme.