Pandemic waste equal to weight of 262,000 jumbo jets WHO warns

Feb 2 2022

The amount of waste being generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to the environment and human health confirmed the World Health Organisation (WHO). The agency stated that used medical equipment such as needles posed a health hazard. The increase in plastic waste was also straining waste management systems.

WHO called on manufacturers in its report to use more biodegradable materials and eco-friendly packaging, saying that there was a dire need to reform how waste is disposed globally. The materials being throw away include everything from clothing, syringes, gloves, face masks and test kits. WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said that it is absolutely vital to provide health workers with the right PPE.

‘But it is also vital to ensure that it can be used safely without impacting on the surrounding environment’ said Ryan, with the 71-page report finding that most of the 1.5 billion medical items distributed by the UN in the first months of the pandemic ended up as rubbish.

This is equivalent to the weight of 262,000 jumbo jets. Disposable gloves contributed most to the waste generation than any other item. The WHO’s own guidance does not recommend healthcare workers be required to wear gloves while administering vaccines.

It was estimated that 3.4 billion single use masks were discarded everyday in 2020 globally. Most are made of plastic, posing pollution problems on both land and water. WHO also found that more than half of healthcare facilities in poorer countries rent able to deal with the waste safely.

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Motorcyclist dies after Gudja traffic incident

Feb 2 2022

Police were informed this morning at around 10:00am that an accident had taken place in Triq Ħal-Tarxien, Gudja.

Police convened immediately on the site, with preliminary investigations showing that an accident between a Ford Transit van driven by a 62-year-old Qrendi resident and a Kawasaki Z300 driven by a 42-year-old Gudja resident had taken place.

The motorcycle driver was given first aid and taken to Mater Dei Hospital via ambulance, but was later certified dead.

Magistrate Dr Claire Żammit Stafrace LL.D was informed of the case and opened an inquiry. Police investigations are still ongoing.

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Photo Source: Malta Police Force Communications

1,027 people used Detox Centre in first half of 2021 to overcome drugs

Feb 2 2022

2021’s first half saw up to 1,027 people making use of the Detox Centre, which offers treatment to overcome drug addiction.

Aġenzija Sedqa, it it’s Interim Half-Yearly Statistical Report, said that 1,027 people received treatment at the Substance Misuse Out-Patient Unit (SMOPU) in the first six months of last year.

This is slightly higher from 1,008 in the entirety of 2020. Of these, 975 were known cases, 40 were new, 10 recontact cases and one was an intake case.

Aġegnzija Sedqa offers several multi-disciplinary services related to substance and behaviour addictions. These include prevention services, community based rehabilitation programmes, residential rehabilitation services, therapeutic services, inpatient and outpatient medical services as well as opiate substitution treatment.

The Detox Centre in Gwardamangia aims to engage individuals with a substance misuse problem in low threshold interventions. Basic medical, social, and psychological needs are assessed and the necessary assistance is provided.

In the first six months of 2021, 736 people were given methadone treatment, with 1,031 litres of methadone distributed. Meanwhile, 78 individuals made use of the agency’s Substance Misuse In-patient centre at Dar l-Impenn. These included 43 new cases and 23 recontacts.

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14% of agriculture workers are women – majority are elderly

Feb 2 2022

The agricultural sector continued to get smaller over the past 10 years. From a survey called Ċensiment tal-Biedja which was conducted in 2020, the agricultural holdings, of which the majority are made up of the farmer’s families, decreased by 15%.

Many of those who work fields are also older in age, found the survey. The National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Agricultural Directorate reported the results, stating that older age and less holdings were the main findings contributing to this.

Ronald Tanti, the chief of the environment, agriculture and fishing sector in the NSO said that the information was compiled between October 2020 and February of 2021.

He said that this was the first survey of agriculture wherein information was gathered about every field which is toiled. This thus provides a picture of products which were grown in each one.

The survey resulted that around 13,500 people work in agriculture, 14% are women. The survey showed that there are 11,400 hectares of agricultural land in Malta.

Half is land rented from the government, 22% is rented from private sectors and the rest belongs to the same people who work the field. Three quarters of the land worked is used to grow products like flowers and other plants, as well as wheat.

Less than 10% of these fields are taken up by trees, with 18% used to raise products which are for personal use.

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Photo Source: Friends of the Earth Malta