Malta headlines as one of the COVID safest winter countries

Nov 3 2021

Malta has once again made international headlines, and this time, its due to it being one of the safest places in Europe to visit during the winter as another COVID-19 wave surges. According to international newsroom ‘The Telegraph’, our island joins Portugal in being the safest places in Europe for the upcoming winter, with expert leading disease monitoring across the continent. A new wave of infections is sweeping Western Europe and the UK, but Malta and Portugal will be avoiding the spike due to the high rate of vaccination.

Dr. Bruno Ciancio, director of surveillance at the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), said in a Telegraph interview that there are three epidemiological trends emerging across Europe, dictating how countries will fare this winter.

He highlighted how the critical factor in all this is vaccination, saying that the pandemic will be driven more and more by those who did not receive their jab. He said the countries most likely to avoid a substantial resurgence are Malta and Portugal as they have fully immunized more than 80% of their total population. Most other countries, like the UK, fall into a second tier where overall vaccination rates are around 60 to 80%.

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€1.2 million refurbishment of Imdina playground begins

Nov 3 2021

Following the news that Imdina’s playground will be receiving a major rejuvenation, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg took to social media to announce the start of the works. ‘We keep our word’ he captioned the post, going on to explain how he looks forward to giving the public more places where they can kick back and relax, whilst also upgrading the overall quality of life. This comes after the Minister announced a €1.2 million investment into the refurbishment of the area.

The site was closed off for works following the announcement, with Borg saying that there are being advances in the playing equipment. The minister had expressed how the government cannot let such an inadequate playground remain in its outdated state, highlighting how Mdina’s local council proposed the refurbishment, displaying a civic sense of responsibility which the council has towards its citizens.

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Rise of COVID-19 imported cases in Malta

Nov 3 2021

The number of COVID-19 cases imported into Malta has increased, now accounting for a third of all reported infections. Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci confirmed how a growing number of virus numbers are among people who recently arrived in the country, despite the daily and active cases remain low. Yesterday, Malta registered 29 new cases, standing at 238 active cases. The proportion of imported cases dropped to 6% in the last week of July after quarantine-free entry was restricted to the fully vaccinated by health authorities. They remained relatively stable since then, said Gauci, but she stated that they increased last month.

Imported cases accounted for a fifth of all cases in October’s third week, going on to rise to a third by the last week of the month. Times of Malta was informed by the Superintendent that this could be a reflection of what is happening in other countries, where numbers are increasing. She emphasized however that it was important to note that the overall number of cases is low, so a small increase in reported cases will show a large percentage. There was also an increase of travelling to Malta, with Malta International Airport stating how September was their strongest month since the beginning of the pandemic.

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Photo Source: Charmaine Gauci FB

How to handle stress | by Ed’s Common Sense

Nov 3 2021

Whether it stems from work, school, social relationships or any of the responsibilities that consume our adult lives, stress is something that we suffer from on a daily basis but there are ways of handling it. Sometimes, taking a step back to breathe, rest and communicate is all we need to handle our stress. Sometimes, it takes a bit more. That’s why clinical psychologist & psychotherapist Dr. Edward Curmi is here to help us handle our stress on #StressAwarenessDay.

Dr. Edward Curmi is also the author of 2 self-help books titled Ed’s Common Sense.