Two deaths from Covid-19 were reported last night – which pushed the death toll from the coronavirus up to 112.

Officials added that there were 14 patients in hospital – two of them in intensive care.

The last deaths attributed to the coronavirus were reported in the week of December 20 last year and the first Omicron case was logged on December 7.

Kim Wilson, the health minister, said: “I extend my sincere condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased.”

She was speaking as 622 new cases were reported among 8,187 test results, carried out between last Friday and Tuesday, came back to health officials.

But the number of active infections dropped for the first time in the present outbreak.

They fell from 1,953 cases in Monday’s update to 1,886 last night – down to the level last seen on January 8.

There have been 687 recoveries since Monday.

A total of 104 of the new cases came in from overseas, 38 were classed as on-island transmissions and 480 are under investigation.

The island’s seven-day average real-time reproduction number is 0.71.

Ms Wilson said the island had a “small” supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine in stock, which would expire at the end of the month.

Booster shots can be booked here.

The ministry of health said 71.5 per cent of the population had been given both doses of the vaccine and 39.5 per cent had had the booster shot.

The latest figures pushed the island’s total known cases over the pandemic to 9,766.

The speed of the latest surge in coronavirus cases, attributed to the Omicron variant, showed the high transmissibility of the new strain.

Between December 23 and Monday – 25 days – the total number of cases over the pandemic jumped from about 6,000 to 9,000.

But Ms Wilson highlighted this week that early evidence suggested the new strain was not as severe as earlier variants.

She said the period of illness caused by Omicron appeared to be shorter and had a lower risk of hospital admissions.

Ms Wilson added that hospital admissions appeared to be “around half” of those caused by the Delta variant, responsible for a wave of cases last autumn.

Ms Wilson was speaking after the 12.30am to 5am curfew, imposed on December 23, was lifted yesterday.

But other public health restrictions are to continue for at least two more weeks.

Mandatory quarantine is no longer required for contacts of a positive case who do not show symptoms if their last dose of the vaccine, whether second jab or booster shot, had been administered inside six months.

People who have had both doses of vaccine but test positive for the coronavirus must isolate for seven days and get a clear antigen test.

Unvaccinated people who test positive or are found to be close contacts of an infected individual must isolate for ten days and have a clear test before they can resume normal life.

Travellers to the island who have had the full jab must have a pretest, test on arrival, and get a clear Day 4 verified antigen test.