PN calls on government to withdraw the January 17th measures

PN calls pn government to withdraw the January 17th measures

Jan 12 2022

Nationalist Party and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech issued a statement calling on the government to withdraw immediately the COVID measures coming into effect on the 17th of January.

Taking to Facebook, Bernard Grech began his statement by clarifying that he fully supports the recommendation by medical health professionals for people to get vaccinated with both shots and the booster. However, he said, the right for a person to make their own decision should be respected.

‘That a government enforces people to get vaccinated will not have the same results as when vaccine hesitant people consult inoculation with a trusted family doctor’.

He went on to add that these measures, ‘which many consider excessive and discriminatory’, will be increasing pressure on the worker who is already facing difficulties in employment, an increase in costs and ‘an added bureaucracy.’

He went on to state that if the government plans to hold these measures in place, there needs to be more transparency about the science upon which these decisions are being made.

The government, Grech said, should explain why Malta took a different route compared to that of other countries even in terms of periods of time between vaccination and booster shots.

Finally, he added, the government should make self-testing kits legal and available, due to the increase in active cases and difficulty in accessing testing centres.

‘Measures should find an adequate balance between public health and people’s freedoms’ he concluded. The PN’s call to reconsider the measures was also echoed by many organisations and sectors around the island,. What do you think?

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Photo Source: Bernard Grech FB

Many in tribute at Puttinu founder Victor Calvagna’s funeral

Hundreds in tribute at Puttinu founder Victor Calvagna’s funeral

Jan 12 2022

Celebrating the remarkable life and work of the good doctor, people turned up to Victor Calvagna’s funeral to pay tribute at Mosta Basilica. It was revealed on the 4th of January 2022 that Calvagna passed away at the age of 63 after having been fatally injured in a traffic incident.

Calvagna was taken to hospital where his condition slowly deteriorated, initially being considered brain dead due to the severity of his injuries. With the case still under investigation, Calvagna passed away a few days later.Calvagna was known for being the president and founder of Puttinu Cares, which, alongside the doctor, helped thousands of people with severe diseases such as cancer.

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Tributes poured in immediately after the incident was announced, with many unveiling how much Calvagna had helped them overcome their disease or helped people cope with such tragic events. Calvagna was known to have raised the recovery rate for cancer up to 80%, even dedicating his passion for sports to many of his kid patients.

The loss of Calvagna shook the entire island, marking the doctor’s impact on the lives of many. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Calvagna family and all his loved ones.

Rest in Peace Dr. Calvagna

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Novak Djokovic admits to breaking Covid rules whilst positive

Jan 12 2022

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has recently admitted to his Instagram that he broke isolation rules whilst being positive last December. This comes after a controversial few days that has seen the Serb be put in detention in Australia, for not showing the correct Covid documents needed to enter the country.

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In the post he addresses the “continuing misinformation” regarding what events he had attended in December whilst positive with the virus. He stated that he first received a positive PCR test on the 17th of December after attending a children tennis event the same day and a basketball event 3 days earlier.

The controversy around the post came next as the 20 time Grand Slam champion confessed that on the 18th of December, the day after he received his positive PCR test, he fulfilled “a long standing commitment for a L’Equipe interview and photo shoot”. He continued by saying that he “didn’t want to let the journalist down”and that he felt obliged to do the interview. He also confirmed that throughout the interview he social distanced and kept his mask on, except for the photo shoot and that he deeply regretted not rescheduling the commitment.

L’Equipe later confirmed in an article that the tennis star had worn a mask the entire time, even when their reporter asked him to take it off for five minutes. The interviewer, Franck Ramella, confirmed that he had been asked not to ask Novak about the upcoming Australian Open and whether or not the tennis star was vaccinated.

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Half of Europe could be infected with Omicron in two months says WHO

Jan 12 2022

The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning which states that half of Europe could be infected by the Omicron variant over the next two months.

A projection based on the seven million new cases reported across Europe in the first week of 2022, WHO’s European director Hans Kluge described the pattern as a ‘west-to-east’ tidal wave.

This wave is set to sweep through the 53 countries under WHO’s European umbrella. Kluge said that ‘how each country now responds must be informed by its epidemiological situation, available resources, vaccination uptake and socio-economic context.’

This comes just after the Spanish Prime Minister said that it’s time to consider treating COVID-19 as endemic, meaning treating it in a way similar to how we treat the flu. WHO disagreed with this, saying that the spread of Omicron has not yet settled and more time is needed to observe and research.

Malta’s Health Minister Chris Fearne said that Omicron makes up more than third of known active cases of the COVID-19 virus in Malta. Despite allegedly causing less serious illness, it is still highly contagious and can infect people despite being fully vaccinated.

Pfizer also revealed on Monday that it would be able to launch a version of its vaccine which offers specified protection against Omicron and could be rolled out in March.

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