Health Authorities expecting updates on use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine by next week

Apr 18 2021

Interviewed by iNewsMalta, Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne stated that health authorities are expecting an answer in regards to the Johnson & Johnson concerns and usage by next week. The Minister highlighted the importance of acquiring and administering vaccinations to the public as it provided great health benefits in the battle against COVID-19. The Health Minister confirmed the arrival of the first batch of the one shot jab which will remain unused until further notice.

Malta will follow the directives of the EMA in regards to the use of Johnson & Johnson, taking precautions against any blood clot concerns. In the mean time, he emphasised the importance of all over-50s to apply for the jab to continue the so far successful rollout.

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39 COVID-19 cases registered with 52 recoveries

Apr 18 2021

Malta has registered 39 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours from 1,985 swab tests, while 52 patients have recovered. This information was announced by the official Facebook page of Malta’s Ministry for Health.

As of Sunday 18th April 2021, 274,641 vaccine doses were administered of which 84,152 were 2nd doses.

To date, Malta has registered 29,966 COVID-19 cases in total, of which: 28,962 have recovered, 409 died and 595 are still active.

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Queen Elizabeth bids farewell to Prince Philip with a note on his casket

Apr 18 2021

Queen Elizabeth II, who has been Prince Philip’s wife for over 73 years, continued her tradition of writing and sending letters to her husband one last time at his funeral. Prince Philip passed away on April 9th, aged 99, and a letter was placed on his casket, along by a wreath from the queen herself. What the note said was unclear, except for one part which shows the words ‘I love you.’

Speculations on social media hinted at it saying ‘Your Living Lilibet’, a nickname the Queen received when she was young because she could not pronounce her own name. The royal couple started to exchange letters at the beginning of their courtship after the then 13-year-old Elizabeth met Philip, 18. The two wed on November 20th 1947, spending the first years of their marriage in Malta.

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Australia to ban single-use plastics by 2025

Apr 18 2021

Australia has vowed to put a ban and slowly phase out single use plastics, such as cutlery and straws, by 2025. The plans have been announced by Australia’s government, with federal, state and territory leaders coming to an agreement as to what the ban will be covering.

Eight different types of unnecessary plastic waste were identified – lightweight plastic bags and misleading plastic bags marketed as degradable; plastic cutlery; plastic straws; polystyrene food containers; polystyrene consumer goods packaging; and micro-beads in personal care products. Queensland is the only state to have passed the ban to be put in effect by September 2021. The commitment to reduction is needed, given that the country produces 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste every year.

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