No need for obligatory vaccination in schools reveals education minister

Jan 4 2022

Education Minister Clifton Grima revealed that government is not considering making vaccination against COVID-19 obligatory for educators or students.

Grima said that due to the uptake of vaccinations among educators and students was already considerable and thus ‘draconian measures’ were not necessary.

Speaking on TVM News Plus’s Xtra, Grima said that ‘we are not looking at obligatory vaccinations. The numbers give us enough comfort because almost everyone involved in schools is vaccinated. We have to continue urging people to take the vaccine and the booster dose to protect themselves, their families and the rest of society.’

He also highlighted how educators were prioritised in the vaccination programme last year and the administration of the booster. Young children receiving the vaccine was also encouraging he revealed.

With the programme to vaccinate children between ages of 5 and 11 opening in December, the age group joined the race against COVID-19 after the European Medicines Agency gave its clearance to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Apart from agreeing with unions to physically reopen schools on Monday 10th January as his first decision as Minister, Grima also held talks with stakeholders which were given a detailed explanation by Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci.

Grima pointed out that apart from agreeing that there will be an ongoing evaluation to react to circumstances as they develop, the Superintendent’s explanation of the number of school infections, protective measures and vaccine uptake satisfied him as a father that his children are going to school with existing protocols.

The response by opposition spokesperson Clyde Puli was that government’s problem over the past two years was lack of foresight and planning which caused unpreparedness given circumstance changes.

Puli disagreed with making COVID vaccinations obligatory, insisting that imposing such a policy would conflict with an individual’s right to receive an education. He also said that the PN said that the best education is achieved in the classroom but there may circumstances where online learning becomes a necessity and thus we should not vilify it.

#MaltaDaily

Lawyer Andy Ellul to become a Labour MP

Jan 4 2022

Lawyer Andy Ellul’s co-opting to parliament through Prime Minister Robert Abela’s nomination was approved by the Labour parliamentary group.

The nomination was also approved by the Labour’s executive, with Ellul having had a past in several legislative forms especially those concerning social and familial spheres.

Head of Malta’s delegation at the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Committee, he was born in 1975 and will be contesting the upcoming general election on the 3rd and 4th districts.

He will be replacing former MP Silvio Grixti who resigned from parliament in December after being interrogated by police over an investigation into irregular medical sick notes.

Ellul became a lawyer in 2007 and specialised in administrative law. He also thanked the Prime Minister for the co-option, saying he would ‘work tirelessly for the national good.’

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Andy Ellul FB

One month jail term for man who spat on police officers

Jan 4 2022

A 28-year-old Nigerian man was sentenced to one month in prison for harassing and threatening police officers.

Ekele Orogodo was brought to Court accused of spitting and shouting at the Police in Marsa Road on New Years’s Eve whilst drunk.

He was approached by police after he was caught urinating in a public space and was fined also €800. The fine could converted into a jail term as well if the sum is not paid within three weeks.

#MaltaDaily

Photo Source: Kamra tal-Periti, Malta Police Force FB

WATCH: Over 3 hour waiting times at University for booster shot

Jan 4 2022

People are reporting waiting up to 3 hours to get jabbed with the COVID-19 booster shot at the University of Malta. With Malta pushing forth with its vaccination rollout, health authorities are highlighting the importance of the jab and its aim to boost most of the population.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Malta Daily (@maltadaily.mt)

However, due to the amount of people and long queues forming, there are calls being issued for more vaccination centres and people administering vaccination. This also comes amidst reports of wild goose chases between MCAST and UOM for the vaccination.

People are also reporting being told to first go to one establishment to get their shot but then later told to go to another after their previous appointment location had closed up shop. Photos and videos sent to this newsroom show the long lines forming at UOM as people await their turn to get the jab. Despite indicating a sense of necessity to get boosted or vaccinated, the long waiting times are raising major concerns as people have to work around their schedule to get their vaccine.

As of the writing of this article, 1,075,996 vaccine doses were administered, 227,648 of which are booster doses. This also comes as Omicron starts to account for a majority of new cases.

#MaltaDaily