VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta continued to register an increase in COVID-19 cases with a record number of 717 new positive cases to be confirmed for the last weeks.

The Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci explained that 86% of the new cases are the result of the more contagious subvariant of Omicron. With 216 recoveries, the number of active cases has increased to 5,783.

Meanwhile, three people diagnosed with the virus died in the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of deaths since the begining of the pandemic to 638.

100 patients are being treated for Covid-19 in hospital, with four patients are in the intensive care unit. However not all the 100 patients who had been admitted to hospital suffered complications due to Covid-19.

Following a five-week election campaign in which Covid-19 restrictions and measures were unobserved, especially in political mass activities, Malta is back at the top of the European Union’s Covid-19 concern list.

Last Sunday, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that his new government is ready to lift all restrictions, leaving it up to the people to choose how to safeguard best their own well-being and health. Associations representing the tourism sector said it was time to return to normality despite the recent spike on Covid cases over the past three weeks.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Following the swearing in for his first full mandate as Maltese Prime Minister, Robert Abela said that his government is aiming to end all anti-COVID-19 restrictions despite the continuous increase in positive cases in recent weeks.

In his address to the nation on the national broadcast, he did not give any timelines. However, Abela declared “the pandemic has taken too much from us,” stating that this was particularly the case for children and the young. “So now we must look ahead, and reclaim the freedom we had lost.”

The spike in Covid-19 cases continued with new 603 new cases in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases now stands at 4,684.

The lack of enforcement of Covid rules in recent weeks, especially during political activities before Saturday’s elections and the celebrations on Sunday and Monday, will translate into another wave of Covid infections.

Moreover, a person died while Covid positive but the details of the latest victim remain unknown. This takes the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Malta stands at 636.

The health authorities have failed to publish the daily update for the second successive day, claiming that following Saturday’s general elections there are no health ministry officials in place to handle such information.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Labour Party Leader Robert Abela, 44 was sworn is as Maltàs Prime Minister on Monday morning. He is the eighth prime minister since Maltàs Independence. The oath of office was conducted by President George Vella in the presence of outgoing ministers, Labour Party officials and the prime minister’s family.
Thousands of Labour Party supporters gathered in the streets of the capital city Valletta particulary around the Presidential Palace and the Office of the Prime Minister, greeting Robert Abela who was accompanied by his wife and daughter.
After the ceremony, Abela appeared on the palace balcony and then walked from the Palace to his office in Auberge de Castille.
The Cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.
The Labour Party won by a majority of 39,474 votes. Labour secured 55.1% of the votes while the opposition Nationalist Party got 41.7% of the votes, 123,233 votes in total. Saturday’s election recorded a historically low turnout of 85.5%, down from 92% in 2017.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Labour leader Robert Abela declared victory and confirmed that the Labour Party won with a big margin of votes. He declared victory in a telephone interview on the national broadcaster TVM.
Abela spoke of an “absolute majority.” This is his first mandate to lead Malta as Prime Minister.
Abela, 44, a lawyer, is expected to be sworn in to lead the 14th legislature on Monday and will then form his new government for a five-year mandate.
Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech conceded the election and called Labour leader to congratulate him for the victory.
According to early data announced on the Labour Party’s television station, early projections based on 10,000 votes, or 3% of the votes cast give Labour some 55% of the vote compared to the Nationalist’s Party 42%.
In 2017, Labour had scored a landslide victory, winning 55.04% of the vote which gave it a 35,280 vote majority.
The official turnout for this year’s election is 85.5%, the lowest turnout Malta has seen since gaining independence.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta is voting today to decide which political party will rule the country for the next five years. Voters started casting their votes across the country as polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm. The President of Malta George Vella and his wife Miriam casted their vote in ?ejtun late on Saturday morning. Maltese Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Robert Abela together with his wife Lydia voted earlier in Marsascala. Abela did not give any comments to the journalists. The Leader of the Opposition and Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech voted in Mosta. He was accompanied by his wife Annmarie and their two children who also casted their vote. In a brief comment to the journalists, Grech thanked all voters who will be participating in the democratic process, and said he hoped that election officials carry out their duties diligently to guarantee a “free and fair” election and ensure there is no repeat of the irregularities which took place last week in the early voting in prison. “It is important to have a fair election to allow the people to vote serenely for the next government.” The centre-right party leader added that voters who want to see change have the opportunity to vote the Nationalist Party. 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote for the first time, taking the number of eligible voters from 341,856 in 2017 to 355,075. More than 14,000 voting documents were not collected, and this point towards a lower turnout than previous elections. Polls have indicated that the turnout will be around 88%, which would be the lowest since 1955.
Malta will make use of an electronic counting system for the first time. This means that the winner will be declared on Sunday morning with the official results expected to be published later in the evening.
The final polls published ahead of today’s vote predict the Labour Party will win a third consecutive mandate despite a series of scandals but thanks to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial support to businesses. A majority of between 26,000 and 39,000 votes is expected in favour of the Labour Party but this will depend on the turnout and the number of valid votes cast.
This is the first general election for the Labour Party with Robert Abela as its leader. He was appointed Prime Minister in January 2020, succeeding Joseph Muscat who resigned after the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech, accused as the mastermind in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October, 2017.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – As Malta goes to the polls for a general election on Saturday, the local health authorities continued to register an increase in positive cases of Covid-19 and in patients who had to be hospitalised for medical treatment.

This led the Electoral Commission to set up three additional voting centres for people who are Covid positive or who are in mandatory quarantine. Last week the commission announced that four centres will be set up to facilitate the vote for people in isolation. To date some 4,200 voters are set to vote in the seven centres and the commission urged voters to vote early the centres will close at 10pm on Saturday like all other polling stations.

During the last 24 hours, 465 new cases were detected while 127 patients recovered from the virus. The total number of active cases increased to 3,590.

The number of positive patients referred to hospital for medical treatment also continued to increase as 77 patients are being treated for Covid-19 at Mater Dei hospital, with three patients in intensive care.

Following the death of an 81-year-old woman, the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Malta stands at 627.

1,254,627 vaccine doses have been administered thus far, 349,561 of which are booster doses.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Five weeks of electoral campaigning came to an end last night, as Malta will vote on Saturday to elect a new government and a new parliament. The general election campaign ended with Labour Prime Minister Robert Abela addressing a huge of enthusiastic supporters during an animated event in Tà Qali while the Nationalist leader Bernard Grech made his final speech before a big crowd of supporters gathered in Valletta.
Final opinion polls envisage an electoral win for the Labour Party with a margin between 26,000 and 39,000 votes. It is also predected a low turnout of 88%, the lowest since 1955. Both leaders used their final speeches before silent day to address the undecided voters as fear mounts that there will be a lower turnout this year. A total of 14,473 voting documents were not collected, almost double that of the previous election.
Labour Leader Robert Abela stressed that staying home is not an option, and that people should go out and vote. “Let your vote be the answer. Lend me your trust for my very first mandate,” adding that he will continue building on the good foundations and bring about more reforms. “Let’s turn this dream into reality. Together with you – students, pensioners and businesses. The future is bright”, Abela said.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech said that if voters do not to want to be treated like numbers, if they want to live in country where meritocracy rules over nepotism and submission to power, if they want to be proud of their country, if people want to live in a safe country, they have only one option. That of voting PN. “Democracy is at stake” and only the Nationalist Party can offer hope of a better future. He added “Malta is once again at a crossroads, and allow me to address you as a father who doesn’t distinguish between his children. Grech said “Malta is calling us and we must realise that democracy is at stake, with a near total collapse of the country’s institutions.”
A new generation will be voting for the first time this Saturday, being the first general election in which the voting age has been lowered from 18 to 16.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta continued to register an increase in Covid-19 cases and in the number of patients referred to medical treatment at Mater Dei hospital.
The local health authorties confirmed that in the last 24 hours, 415 new cases were registered and 131 patients recovered from the virus. This brings the total number of active cases to 3.253.
Meanwhile, more patients were hospitalized for medical treatment bringing the total number of patients being treated for Covid-19 in hospital to 75. Two of the patients are being treated at the Intensive Care Unit. In the last 24 hours no deaths were registered due to coronavirus. The total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Malta remained at 626.
1.254.115 vaccine doses have been administered thus far, 349.154 of which are booster doses.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese health authorties confirmed that COVID-19 cases and patients receiving treatment while positive for coronavirus are on the increase.
The medical bulletin published on Wednesday confirms 375 new cases bringing the total number of active cases to 2,969.
Meanwhile during the last 24 hours there was an increase of 20 patients who needed medical treatment at Mater Dei hospital. 63 patients are being treated for COVID-19, while two more patients, aged 87 and 93, lost their life due to the pandemic bringing the total number of deaths to 626.
1,253,673 vaccine doses have been administered so far, 348,922 of which are booster doses.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Malta Financial Services Authority announced that more than 100 licensed firms and funds renounced their operational license since Malta was grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force.
Maltese Finance Minister Clyde Caruana recently declined to give such information to Parliament. Prior to grey listing, the Finance Minister answered questions with all relevant details on firms who opted to close their Malta operations.
This negative trend which started in 2018, includes surrendered licenses related to operation of financial services firms, specific sub funds and SICAV companies.
Last October, an EY Malta survey revealed that Maltàs attractiveness for business reached an all-time low.
A delegation from FATF is expected to visit Malta next month to assess the government’s anti-money laundering measures and the fight against the financing of terrorism.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews