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111 COVID-19 cases registered with 199 recoveries

Jul 30 2021 Share

Malta has registered 111 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours from 3,693 swab tests, while 199 patients have recovered. No deaths were registered in the past 24 hours. This information was announced by the official Facebook page of Malta’s Ministry for Health.

As of Thursday 30th July 2021, 755,655 vaccine doses were administered of which 398,444 were 1st doses. 379,016 people are currently fully vaccinated. 

To date, Malta has registered 34,201 COVID-19 cases in total, of which: 31,410 have recovered, 423 died and 1972 are still active.

Mater Dei Hospital is currently treating a total of 36 COVID-19 positive patients, one of which is in the ITU. The average age of yesterday’s cases was 33.

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Gzira United eliminated from UEFA Conference League after loss in Croatia.

Jul 30 2021 Share

Last night, Gżira United were eliminated from the UEFA Europa Conference League as they lost their 2nd leg of their tie in Croatia to HNK Rijeka. The Maroons couldn’t emulate their heroics the last time they played in Croatia, when they defied the odds and won 3-0 against Hadjuk Split in order to qualify.

The Croatian side went into the 2nd leg filled with confidence after beating Gżira 2-0 in Malta. The 2 away goal advantage that HNK Rijeka had meant that Gżira would have to do the impossible again. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be this time as Swiss striker Joseph Drmic, scored in the first half, confirming that another spectacular come back in Croatia for the Maroons won’t be happening this time around.  The Gżira players, despite the packed out Rijeka crowd, still held their own, keeping the score low whilst challenging the Croatians offensively.

Everyone associated with Gżira United, whether it be a fan or player, should be proud of the way they represented themselves and Malta internationally. The players didn’t take anything for granted and worked hard every minute of every game.

 

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Hugh Watanabe: Hawaiian volleyball player now in the Japanese Olympic Basketball team

Jul 30 2021 Share

Ever since Hugh was a star athlete in high school, his dream was to someday be an Olympian. His dream did eventually come through but not in the way he would have imagined. His story to Olympics stardom was long and contains the hit show ‘Family Feud’, an email sent to the Japanese Basketball Association and two false positive covid-19 tests.

On a normal Japanese night in 1985, a Japanese family, including Sanae Watanabe, won a free trip to Hawaii after beating another family in the Japanese version of ‘Family Feud’. This trip would change Sanae’s life upside down as in Hawaii she happens to meet Matt Hogland. The two start dating and eventually tying the knot. The couple had two children, naming their first born son Hugh.

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Hugh grew up, and it was decided that instead of being an American citizen only, he would have dual citizenship and have a Japanese passport too. In high school Hugh excelled in many sports, most notably Basketball and Volleyball.  He was even chosen for the USA youth Volleyball squads. He always thought that his way to the Olympics would be by representing USA in Volleyball but that changed when a Basketball coach from the University of California offered him a scholarship. He immediately accepted it but once he arrived, he got to know that the coach who had scouted him was fired and that he wouldn’t be getting a scholarship.

 

Before her son left for USA, Sanae, knowing her son’s dreams of competing in the Olympics, sent an e-mail to the technical director of the Japanese Basketball Association. They kept their eyes on Hugh. Hugh eventually found out after a teammate of his told him that a Japanese man was scouting him.  At this point after not getting his scholarship, he signed for the University of Portland. His stint there wasn’t long and he instead started focusing on his business degree. In January 2020, months before the originally planned  Tokyo Olympics, he started training again. When he heard the news of the postponement he was elated as it meant more time for him to train.  With limited time left until the Olympics, he moved to Japan and joined B-League team Ryukyu Golden Kings. His regular playing time, matched with his skill, earned him a spot on the Japanese Olympic Team. When he thought he finally achieved his goal, he had to endure a covid-19 scare. He had to take his tests again but after a week of waiting it was announced that his tests were false negatives.

Japan and Hugh have played 2 games and lost both but Hugh will still be happy just being selected after all the obstacles he had to pass from. His story is proof that when you’re working hard and you believe in yourself anything is possible

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Airport traffic hints at summer recovery for Malta’s tourism

Airport traffic hints at summer recovery for Malta’s tourism
Jul 30 2021 Share

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on tourism was undoubtedly a hard hit for that same sector alongside the economy. The first four months of 2021 at the Malta International Airport ranked total traffic comparable to only a single average week in the same time period back in 2019. With strict travel restrictions due to the pandemic, May started to show the first recovery signs, with airlines commencing their summer operations. Important markets in France and Spain resumed, as June saw a total of 190,505 passengers travelling through the airport. 

This is a significant 153% increased when compared to May, with MIA head of traffic development Alex Cardona commenting how the positive trend continued throughout June and July. The easing of restrictions led to the release of a pent-up demand for air travel. The quarantine requirement for unvaccinated travellers however health an unprecedented blow to the local tourism industry’s performance. 

Cardona went on to highlight the return of several airlines and the upcoming cruise and fly operation initiative which will encourage votes of confidence in Malta. MIA CEO Alan Borg pointed out how the current travel restrictions ‘are not positioning the island as an easy destination of choice with travellers looking to book a Mediterranean holiday.’ 

Borg stated that despite the ‘fast-changing aviation landscape’, MIA is determined to continue working towards a sustainable recovery. 

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