COVID causing delays to ten non-urgent surgeries a day

Jul 16 2022

The recent spike in COVID-19 cases has led to the cancellation of around 10 non-urgent surgeries on a daily basis.

This was revealed by Times of Malta though a spokesperson at Mater Dei Hospital, who unveiled that some patients are also being turned away from the hospital after turning positive.

The health ministry has confirmed that elective surgeries are undergoing postponement as asymptomatic patients are sent back home.

The spokesperson highlighted that a number of elective surgeries are being postponed as the hospital aims to minimise the risk of infecting staff and other patents due to surgery in COVID patients being riskier.

This is reminiscent of all non-urgent surgeries being cancelled at the height of the pandemic. This news comes as Malta registers almost 7,000 active cases.

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Ms Marvel outranks Black Panther as Marvel’s Highest Rated Project ever

Jul 16 2022

Ms Marvel has just dethroned Black Panther to become the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s highest rated project ever.

The 2022 released TV series centres around Muslim Pakistani-American teen Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, and made history after it became the first ever onscreen Muslim superhero representation.

It became such a huge series, with a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, that even managed to outrank the already ground breaking Black Panther, starring the late Chadwick Boseman.

Combining Gen-Z sound and visuals, the show did not reinvent the wheel but managed to get absolutely devoured by critics. However, this does not seem to be the general consensus amongst mainstream viewership.

The series registered around 770,000 viewers tuning in to it’s series premiere in June. Compared to previous series ‘Loki’s debut of 2.5 million, the difference can be easily noted.

Despite bringing in a more diverse audience than any other Marvel series, the dip in mainstream viewership could be attributed to various factors. Among them could be burn-out with the MCU itself, with even the latest theatrical release of Thor: Love and Thunder receiving very mixed reviews, many leaning negative.

Vellani herself expressed massive gratitude however, saying that the series hit its target audience and is excited to see how Kamala fits into the larger universe.

#MaltaDaily

Union shares images of ‘substandard’ St Julian’s police station

Jul 16 2022

The Malta Police Force has revealed shocking images of the state of the police stations in St Julian’s wherein police officers are being required to carry out their duties.

Releasing a statement at the end of Police Week, the Union published new photos which it claimed were taken at the St Julian’s police station. The images show everything from shattered glass to exposed wiring to other serious neglect of the premises.

‘In line with the objective 8 of the Malta Police Transformation Strategy we welcome you to St. Julians Police Station where our Police Officers can ”carry out their duties in an environment that safeguards their quality of life” said the statement sarcastically.

With markings and writings on walls, broken doors and loose cables, the state of the station were described as a horror house to work in. The union is issuing calls for something to be done and give Malta’s police officers a dignified working spot.

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Under 40’s shouldn’t have more than one shot glass of beer a day says study

Jul 16 2022

A new study has raised some concerns for beer lovers under the age of 40 as it has come out with the ideal limit for the amount of beer which should be allowed in a day… and it’s miniscule.

Researchers say that the key to health is to take everything in moderation, but moderation varies depending on what activity is being exercised.

When it comes to beer, the NHS currently recommends not going above 14 units a week (around six pints) to stay within the safe limit. This also varies according to factors such as body mass and age.

But a new study from the University of Washington’s School of Medicine says that the actual safe limit for men under 40 is just a 38ml shot glass of beer per day.

For women the limit was found to be much higher, ranked at 100ml of beer before health issues start to become more prominent. However, the senior author of the study outright said that there is no health benefit to drinking alcohol for youth.

Dr Emmanuela Gakidou did acknowledge however that it is far from realistic to think young adults will not drink. Instead, she said, we should focus on communicating the latest evidence so that people are as informed as possible.

For men older than 40 years, it was found that having a drink or two can play a part in keeping issues like heart disease or strokes at bay – as long as it is still in moderation. For guys aged 65 or over, four drinks was found to actually be more beneficial.

#MaltaDaily