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Vaccine booster open to everyone over 18 in Malta
Vaccine booster open to everyone over 18 in Malta
The country is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccine booster dose campaign as registration is open to all those aged 18 and over as from today.
Up until yesterday, just over 188,000 booster doses had been administered, with vaccinations taking place even on Christmas day. Meanwhile, the drive is also continuing amongst children between the ages of five and 11, with the aim being to give the first dose by the end of the holidays. Their doses are spaced three weeks apart, at a third of the adult dose.
The surge
Malta is currently experiencing a surge in COVID cases, on the back of waning vaccine immunity and the discovery of the Omicron variant on the island, which is more transmissible than other variants, such as the Delta variant.
The increase in cases has resulted in almost 6,000 active cases in the community, most of which are experiencing mild symptoms. That being said, hospitalisations have risen to 80, with five patients receiving treatment in ITU. The cases rising resulted in the government introducing more restrictive measures, some of which come into force today.
The measures
As of today, the 27 of December, all establishments will have to close their doors at 1am and all events must be seated. Another measure is that spectators are completely barred from all sporting events.
Further measures are also set to come into force as of the 17 January as vaccine certificates will have a three-month expiry on the second dose and a nine-month expiry on the booster dose.
What’s more, any person without a valid vaccine certificate will not be allowed to enter a range of places, including bars, restaurants, gyms, casinos, spas, theatres, każini and sporting events.
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