Austria to make vaccination mandatory and imposes full lockdown

Nov 19 2021

Austria has become the first in the EU to make the vaccine mandatory as the number of COVID-19 cases spike drastically. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced the news Friday, also revealing a lockdown for all, one step further from the previously announced lockdown for the unvaccinated.

Vaccination is planned to be made mandatory as of February 1st of 2022, with the lockdown starting from Monday and evaluated after 10 days. Addressing a press conference, the chancellor stated that despite months of persuasion, the government did not manage to convince enough people to receive the jab.

He even blamed those refusing vaccination for an attack on the health system. People are thus no longer allowed to leave their house unless for very few exceptions. These include shopping for essentials and exercising. Infections continued to rise, with a new record being reached on Thursday. 15,000 new cases were recorded in the population of around nine million people. 66% of the population are now fully jabbed, slightly below the EU average of more than 67%. Restrictions in other European countries are also being tightened as the entire continent experiences a massive surge.

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Photo source: Global News

Fitness Goals? 5 reasons why you need a personal trainer

Fitness Goals? FitVit Personal Trainers will guide you step by step

Nov 19 2021

Embarking on a fitness journey might seem daunting if you’re going at it alone. Here are 5 reasons why a personal trainer is the solution to all the questions you have about everything from diet to exercise to even specific injuries.

Expert Opinion – A personal trainer is specifically knowledgeable about all the innovative approaches in optimising the beneficial effects of physical activity, making better choices which can improve health outcomes and identifying the health risk factors.

Diet – What and how you eat is a crucial aspect to accompany your workout regime. A personal trainer can form a holistic plan for your journey, to facilitate it and make it enjoyable along the way.

Accountability – A fitness journey should be a combination of responsibility and enjoyment. A personal trainer has the perfect sauce to bring the two together – accountability. It’s all about checking in with a positive future in mind to remind you of what the results will look like!

Variety – Whether it’s aerobic exercise, cross fitness or cognitive behavioural therapy, personal trainers will get to know your style and carve your fitness future through a wide range of exercises. Maybe you want to achieve the perfect pushup, master the exercise ball or smash the 7 minute workout. They’ve got you covered!

Recovery – If you’re concerned about any specific illnesses, injuries or conditions, the personal trainer has your back for all of it. Injuries can pop out of nowhere, but a personal trainer will be there to address them as soon as you need them. No time wasted so you get back on track and into your workouts!

FitVit is the innovative approach which brings these all together. What differentiates this programme from everything else is that you will be provided with health checks throughout the programme from a holistically personal perspective.

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Malta no longer on green list due to COVID-19 case spike

Nov 19 2021

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) downgraded Malta from the green to orange list due to a COVID-19 case spike. With cases going up from around 250 to around 700 in the span of two weeks, hospitalisations and deaths have remained stable.

There are currently 15 patients at Mater Dei hospital due to COVID infections, with three being in the ITU (as of time of this writing). Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed that the focus moved from daily cases to the hospitalisation rate due to the vaccine rollout.

The booster shot programme is also doing relatively well, with 85,000 jabs administered already. This news comes as the rest of Europe experiences a massive surge in cases, with almost all countries on orange or red lists.

As of yet, no measures were increased or removed due to the epidemiological situation being manageable so far. Prime Minister Robert Abela however urged those who receive their booster shot invitation to take it as the vaccine is the crucial step towards normality.

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Gozo’s LGBTIQ+ 10 proposals to make sexual health and education safer

Nov 19 2021

In a policy paper on Sexual health and Reproductive Rights (SRHR) in Malta, Gozo’s LGBTIQ+ organisation is calling for gender affirmation surgery to be provided for free by the government. This means that the surgery would no longer be considered a cosmetic procedure. The organisation, which offers various services to queer individuals and their relatives, is putting forward several other proposals.

Working with educators, civil society group and the general public to provide community outreach, the group is offering up 10 total proposals. The organisation called for more developments to the first GU clinic which was opened in Gozo in May 2021. This also includes calling for longer hours for the recruitment and training of new staff.

The proposals also ask for an increased accessibility o relevant information. This could be achieved through educational leaflets placed in institutions. Furthermore, a sexual health mobile clinic that tours Malta offering services is another important proposal. The organisation emphasised the importance of making the Morning After Pill free for all and available through different means.

This comes after recent statistics collected by MaltaToday revealing that pharmacies opening on Sundays and public holidays do not sell the pill.

More proposals include the increase of gender-neutral bathrooms in public grounds, a bi-annual multidisciplinary conference about sexual health and reproductive rights, a lifting of the ban on MSM blood donation as well as mainstreaming HIV medication in Malta.

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