Istrina 2021 comes to an end and collects €5,845,000

Dec 27 2021

The 26th edition of the annual charity event Istrina has come to a close, raising a whopping €5,845,000 for those in need.

Yet another instance in which the generosity of the Maltese and Gozitan populations came to the forefront, Istrina 2022 will be giving €5,845,000 to people and families who need all of our help.

It is an annual event in which everyone comes together, pitching in to make sure that those whose livelihoods can benefit from financial aid receive the assistance they deserve.

Last year’s Istrina raised well over €6.2 million, showing that the drive to help our fellow person in need is core to Maltese culture and society. We would all like to thank everyone who pitched in to make this possible.

President George Vella and his wife thanked everyone for showing such solidarity during this initiative. Istrina will be back next year to help more people!

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Photo Source: George Vella FB

South Africa halts quarantines and contact tracing as Omicron less severe

Dec 26 2021

Encouraging data showing that infections from Omicron variants aren’t as severe has prompted South Africa’s government to drop quarantine restrictions for all but symptomatic people.

This means people who have tested positive but show no symptoms can gather with others as long as they wear a mask and practice social distancing.

One health official also explained that since the variant spreads so quickly, it is likely there are many infected people interacting with others and thus no longer makes sense to quarantine only those who tested themselves.

This is also a move which may suggest that countries around the globe will have to find a new way to live with COVID-19. A committee of experts passed the recommendations to the South African government, calling for a focus on vaccination rather than quarantine and contact tracing.

Professor Francois Venter, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said that ‘there is greater recognition that, in the face of a hyper-contagious variant like this, quarantining and isolation are no longer effective as public health containment measures’.

With new measures going into effect immediately, the revisions were based on data which shows that immunity resulting from previous infections was as high as 80%. With a vaccination rate of nearly 45% among adults, hospitalisation has been kept lower.

As health officials all around the world assess the impact of Omicron, it is likely that this move by South Africa will prompt other changes around the world.

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Photo Source: BBC

WHO forecasting an end to COVID pandemic by 2022

Dec 26 2021

A light at the end of the tunnel? The World Health Organisation (WHO) is forecasting that the global pandemic is set to come to an end next year.

We’re all exhausted by now, but just because we’re tired of COVID-19, doesn’t mean it’s tired of us. However, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come out and said that 2022 ‘must be the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.’

He said that this is because by now, we know the virus well and have the tools to fight it properly. These two weapons, he said, will take us out of the pandemic once and for all.

He said that projections made by WHO show that vaccine supplies should be sufficient to vaccinate the entire global population and to give boosters to high-risk population by 2022’s first quarter.

He noted how the big issues to truly overcome are implementing tools effectively and ‘taking care of equity.’ ‘Unless we vaccinate the whole world, I don’t think we can end this pandemic’ he said.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead COVID-19 at WHO said that her main concern is whether we have the stamina to end it. The emergence of Omicron has also prompted specific vaccines targeting this strain.

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Photo Source: Patients Emergency Room

WATCH: Over 100 people took to Valletta to protest pandemic measures

Dec 26 2021

Well over 100 people took to the streets of Malta’s capital city on Sunday afternoon to protest the COVID-19 measures.

Describing them as dictatorial, the protestors, some of them unmasked, insisted that the measures were impeding their individual freedom.

The new measures, which were announced by the Health Ministry in a press conference earlier this week, reintroduced seated events as cases continued to spike.

Apart from this, only those who are vaccinated with the booster shot can, as of January 17th, enter bars, restaurants, sporting events and other establishments.

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The protestors heralded several different slogans and outcries, some directed at the green pass, others against children’s vaccination and some even compared measures to a Nazi dictatorship.

Organizers told participants to respect police orders and cooperate, with one being briefly taken away for not complying when asked to wear a mask.

The reasons for the protests were also varied amongst individual protestors. Some revealed that they were vaccinated even with the booster but simply disagreed with the masking rules. Others questioned the entire rollout and the pandemic as a whole.

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