Malta still awaiting Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Apr 1 2021

Asked about the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Superintendent of Health Charmaine Gauci stated that the vaccine is currently being placed onto the market and Malta is awaiting the arrival of the new vaccine. The vaccine will be included in the rollout once it is available in Malta and is also administrable to over 18-year-olds.

The rollout will include these ages once these vaccines are available. Other companies, such as Pfizer BioNTech, are continuing research on vaccines that can be given to younger ages and this research will also be utilised Malta once enough information is presented.

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Transgender troops can now enlist in US Army

Apr 1 2021

The Pentagon has announced that transgender and gender non-conforming people can freely enlist and serve in the US Army. The revision will restore Obama’s policy which had lifted ban on transgender troops. Biden has allowed transgender people to be eligible to receive gender-affirming medical care.

This news was stated on International Transgender Day of Visibility March 31st. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby stated there is no place for violence and discrimination on basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression or sex characteristics. Trump had previously announced the ban in 2017, but Biden has restored it on the basis that ‘America is stronger, at home and around the world, when it is inclusive. The military is no exception.’

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Ramona Attard urges people to not joke about fake pregnancies on April Fool’s

Apr 1 2021

President of the Labour Party Ramona Attard took to Facebook to urge people not to joke about fake pregnancies. Attard stated that it would be insensitive for those who suffered miscarriage or struggled to become pregnant. Attard pointed out that pregnancy is no joke and who thinks that it is April fools material cannot understand the pain of hoping for positive pregnancies only to end up with the pain of miscarriage.

Pregnancy is not a joke. Who thinks that a pregnancy test is an April fools’ joke material most probably cannot…

Posted by Ramona Attard on Thursday, 1 April 2021

She pointed out that miscarriages and infertility are as common in Malta as anywhere else and thus asks everyone to be sensitive about the issue. One commenter event acknowledged having made such jokes and opened up about asking for an apology, with Attard commending him for his humility.

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WHO states Europe’s vaccine rollout is unacceptably low

Apr 1 2021

The World Health Organisation has criticised Europe’s vaccine rollout as being unacceptably low, with the situation in the region being more worrying than it has ever been for several months. With France announcing its new lockdown measures for the entire country, WHO highlighted the several delays that European countries have experienced in receiving vaccines. EU criticised the pace of vaccination being only 16% of EU population, whereas UK being at 52%.

Who director for Europe Hans Kluge stated that the rollout should be improved by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administration and using every single vial found in stock. The EU stated that the UK has had unfair advantages due to contracts with manufacturers.

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