Virtu Ferries release Easter Offers and Summer 2022 Schedule and Fares!

Check out Virtu Ferries' Easter Offers and Summer 2022 Schedule and Fares!

Nov 15 2021

Who said prices are going up? Virtu ferries announces a robust schedule and special fares for easter and summer 2022.

Virtu Ferries will be operating two vessels, M/V Saint John Paul II and M/V Jean de la Valette on the Malta Sicily route this coming Easter and Summer 2022. The feature of the scheduled service is multiple departures at convenient times for family travel.

During the Easter holiday period, from 9^th to 24^th April, the passenger fare for a day return trip is Euro 39 increasing to Euro 49 for a return trip of more than one day. The fare for a return trip for vehicles is Euro 79 and Euro 59 for motorbikes.

The Summer Schedule from 1^st May to 30^th September features daily double trips with super convenient timings, fine-tuned from feedback from travelling families. Summer fares for passenger start from Euro 54 for a day return, vehicle return fare is Euro 89 and motorbikes Euro 60.

M/V Jean de la Valette is currently undergoing a Euro 8 million engine refit, by renowned German engine manufactures MTU, and will rejoin the Virtu fleet on 1^st December in time for the Christmas Season.

Virtu Ferries’ popular Travel made Simple Policy remains in force – on the spot refunds, no questions asked, no gimmicks, personal attention and travel flexibility.

Your ticket, your rules.

Send this to someone who is in need of a holiday.

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One year old hospitalised after falling two storeys off balcony

Nov 15 2021

Police investigations are ongoing after a one-year-old toddler fell off a balcony two storeys high.

The girl fell off the balcony in Msida on Monday morning, with the police confirming that the incident took place at around 8 am in Triq Santa Venera, Msida.

Her conditions are as of yet unknown. An investigation as to why this occurred is still ongoing.

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Tens of thousands being paid by cancer patients after aid halted

Nov 15 2021

Some breast cancer patients are having to pay tens of euros from their own pockets after the government ended its financial support.

They are having to pay for a powerful medicinal drug from their own money or forced to skip treatment altogether because they cannot afford it. NGOs have now alerted authorities to the lack of local access to the drug. They warn that those unable to afford the treatment are risking premature death.

Pembrolizumab is used to treat various cancers and are authorised for use by the European Medicines Agency and available on national health systems throughout the EU. Experts deem it as a breakthrough and a new hope to patients in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer.

Addressing cancers such as TNBC, one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, patients usually treated it through chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. Pembrolizumab is the only treatment that reduces chances of recurrence by 40%.

One full course of it in line with EMA recommendations can cost up to €120,000, Times of Malta was informed. Patients remarked how neither the government nor the Malta Community Chest Fund foundation are financially supporting patients.

Government stopped financial support mid-2021, according to patients and two NGOs. Europa Donna Malta and Action for Breast Cancer Foundation wrote to the Health Ministry to voice their serious concern at the situation in October.

Malta remains an exception as the treatment is available on the national Public Health Service systems in all European countries. Times of Malta has attempted to reach the Health ministry in regards to this situation.

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Shortage of PlayStation 5’s to get worse in 2022

Nov 15 2021

Bad news for all gamers – if you thought getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 was difficult enough, it might not be getting any better. According to Bloomberg, Sony has downgraded its predicted production by a whopping one million units due to ‘component and logistics constraints.’

In other words, the global shortage could be getting worse and making PS5’s even scarcer. Sony forecasted manufacturing 16 million units of its fastest selling games console by March. The number has now been cut to 15 million.

The global shortage of semi-conductors contributed to the situation. Sony’s Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki stated that any spike in COVID-19 would simply make the company’s supply even worse. This follows PS5s becoming the fastest selling Sony console of all time last July. It hit 10 million units in record time but fell behind in numbers compared to its predecessor, the PlayStation 4. Uneven vaccine rollouts across developing nations also impacted Sony’s supply issues as the company has various production bases there.

#MaltaDaily