Valletta, May 6 (IANS): Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced on Wednesday that he had gone into quarantine after his wife, Lydia Abela, tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day she received the vaccine.

In a statement, the government said that both Abela and their nine-year-old daughter, Giorgia Mae, had tested negative for the virus.

"Lydia is well and has not had any symptoms," the Prime Minister said on Facebook.

"Naturally, this means that we have to observe a period of quarantine," he wrote. "Thanks to technology, I will continue with my work, including important meetings, in the coming days."

The Prime Minister took the first dose of the vaccine on Monday, while Lydia posted a photo on social media earlier on Wednesday of her taking her first dose of the vaccine. She wrote that she was proud that Malta has the best vaccination rate in Europe and that this process would lead to "better times", the Xinhua news agency reported.

The health authorities on Wednesday reported 30 new cases of the virus. There are currently 280 active cases, while the virus has so far claimed 416 lives in the island country.