More than 67% of over-18s received their booster shot says Chris Fearne

Jan 12 2022

More than two-thirds of the adult population in Malta have received their COVID booster shot, Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed.

This translates to around 67% of those aged over 18, with the health minister appealing to the rest of the population who is eligible to register for the vaccine.

Following the Omicron variant’s emergence leading to a spike in cases, Malta’s health authorities are trying to vaccinate as much of the population as possible. Children aged between 5 and 11 are also now eligible to receive their COVID shots, joining the rollout.

Two thirds (67%) of adults over 18 years resident in #Malta have now received a #booster dose against Covid19. Register at https://t.co/xDyYSLM0tY to receive yours. #BeBoosted pic.twitter.com/0bmB8uS6JN

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) January 12, 2022

Till yesterday, 1,146,466 doses of the vaccine were administered, of which 288,561 were booster shots. This comes as Malta registers 13,104 active cases and 496 total deaths since the pandemic started.

However, hospitalisations remain remarkably low at 116, with just 9 people in ITU. Fearne also announced on Monday that Malta had the fourth-highest booster rate among EU members.

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Companies are cutting operations due to COVID absents warn employers

Jan 12 2022

The Malta Employer’s Association said on Wednesday that companies are finding it difficult to cope with a surge in worker absenteeism caused by COVID related issues.

A survey conducted among MEA members showed that 32% of 325 respondents reported an absence rate higher than 15%. 58% of respondents said they are coping with absenteeism through teleworking where possible, whereas 51% said they had to reduce operations.

With the survey covering companies operating in all sectors of the company, this comes as vids cases experienced a massive spike in the past weeks. This forced many workers into quarantine or self-isolation after they were either infected or in close-contact with positive cases. Estimates show that tens of thousands of people have been forced to quarantine.

With quarantine rules modified to allow people who received the booster to return to normal life after 10 days instead of 14, lobbyists and unions are still pushing for rules to be relaxed even more. They cite overseas examples and warned that the new rules will spark more confusion.

MEA said that disrupting business’ activity would lead to a negative impact on GDP growth and government finances given the wage supplement being extended to at least the first quarter of 2022. The association also urged authorities to constantly re-examine the measures to ensure that they are commensurate with the risk level of the pandemic.

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Italian nurse caught emptying COVID vaccines in garbage and faking shots

Jan 12 2022

Police in Italy have arrested a nurse on charges that he was faking giving COVID-19 vaccinations to around 45 people in order for them to get a health pass. The actual vaccines were allegedly being ditched in a bin, with patients walking away from the centre with bandages on their arm so as not to suspect the scam.

Police in Ancona on Italy’s eastern coast also placed four alleged accomplices under house arrest after they were accused of finding customers who did not want to get vaccinated but were willing to pay for a health pass. 45 people who allegedly received the passes as part of the nurse’s scam are currently under investigation. They are required to check in daily with police and are prevented from leaving their cities, a police statement revealed.

Police filmed the nurse at work in a huge vaccine hub, where he apparently squirted the needle’s contents into the medical waste bin before pretending to inject the patient’s arm and then putting on the band-aid. The suspects are accused of corruption, falsifying information and embezzlement. Police however added that the fake vaccination scheme also wasted a fundamental public resource.

With Italy cracking down hard on the unvaccinated, the country requires proof of vaccination or a recent recovery from COVID to access several activities, public transport and other establishments. The country has inoculated 86% of its over-12 population, with 60% of those eligible receiving their booster.

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€98 million generated by the film industry during the pandemic

Jan 12 2022

A study has shown that last year, the film industry left €68 million in the economy from 22 different International productions. It was also revealed that from 2020 up till December of last year, the local film industry generated a whopping €98 million in the economy. This despite the difficulty experienced during the COVID-19 which left devastating effects on several sectors.

This was announced by Film Commissioner Johann Grech during a press conference alongside Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo. The Commissioner explained how during the pandemic, 31 productions took place in Malta – varying from local to international works.

International works include productions from Japan, Norway and Italy. ‘This means job opportunities, so last year we continued to work on our strategy to create even more opportunities and careers in a sector which is having massive success in our country’ said the Commissioner. Grech said that thanks to hard work starting from 2019 onwards, the film industry in Malta is leaving fruit. So much so that during the last three years, over 2,000 jobs were generated.

Minister Clayton Bartolo highlighted the importance of the film industry, saying that it was extremely resilient even in the face of a pandemic. ‘This is all thanks to the local productions and all the productions we bring throughout the year in order to make this industry into a sustainable one instead of a seasonal one’ said the Minister.

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