LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has yet again set a new daily record, with 1,337 new cases of Covid-19 reported on Wednesday. 82 patients are being treated at Mater Dei Hospital, of whom 6 are in intensive care.
The total number of registered active cases has gone up to 8,956. The transmission rate of Covid-19 is the second-highest in the EU when considering the record number of 1,298 cases on Tuesday. Malta has reported 5,889 cases of Covid-19 in the past 7 days – an average of 841 cases a day.
1,052,035 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to date, including 206,611 booster doses.
The Medical Association of Malta said that as Malta reports record numbers of Covid-19 infections, further measures should be put in place to help health professionals working in Maltàs health system cope with numbers.
MAM President Martin Balzan confirmed that the number of hospitalisations remained on an upward trend with around 10 to 16 patients are admitted to hospital with Covid-19 daily – while the total number of cases has hit record levels. And if the present trends persist, according to the MAM president, Mater Dei Hospital may yet be overwhelmed, which would require even more stringent measures.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese health authorities confirmed that 1,298 new COVID-19 cases were registered in the last 24 hours; the highest number of positive cases in one day since the beginning of the pandemic. This means that over one in every six people examined was found positive to COVID-19.
The number of active cases increased to 7,735 following the new registered cases and the new recoveries. According to the local health authorities, 82 patients recovered from COVID-19, however, 82 patients are still receiving treatment at Mater Dei hospital, if whom five are in the intensive care unit.
So far, a total of 1,043,069 vaccine doses had been administered, including 198,772 booster doses.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is encouraging retired nurses and health professionals to return to the public health sector to reinforce the Covid-19 response efforts.
In a week marked by a sharp increase in cases, the number of fines issued by the police for breaches of Covid-19 regulations has effectively remained unchanged. The police issued 206 fines last week following the 203 fines issued in the previous week.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese health authorities confirmed a sharp increase in both COVID-19 new cases and patients receiving treatment in Mater Dei hospital.
Five of the 80 patients in hospital are receiving treatment in the intensive care unit while over 1,800 new cases were registered in the last two days.
On Sunday, the local health authorties confirmed that a 69 year old woman has died due to coronavirus. To date, the pandemic has claimed a total of 475 lives. Meanwhile, 572 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, after two days registering over 900 cases a day. In the last 24 hours, 94 patients recovered from COVID-19, brining the total number of active cases to 5,766.
So far, a total of 1,031,293 vaccine doses had been administered, including 188,041 booster doses.
The association representing the catering establishments reported that more than half of the restaurant bookings and large events have been cancelled due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. Malta International Airport confirmed that 480 flights to and from Malta have been cancelled too.
Meanwhile, the local authorities have cancelled the New Year’s Eve celebrations which were planned to take place in Valletta following the government decision to cancel all mass events.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government was left with no option to reintroduce preventive and stricter measures to combat the new wave of Covid-19 cases hitting the country as the local health authorities confirmed the first new cases of the Omicron variant. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne have confirmed that two cases of the Omicron variant were identified following various medical tests.
A new record of 733 new cases was registered during the last 24 hours. 92 patients have recovered. The total number of actove cases increased to 3,632. 53 patients are receiving treatment at Mater Dei hospital of whom 3 are in the intensive acre unit.
Fearne confirmed that Malta has adequate supplies to administer the booster shot to fight effectively the Omicron variant. While 182,000 people have already received the third dose; 41% of those eligible, as from next Monday, those over 18 years can also register with the health authorties to receive the booster jab. 90% of people over 70 and 80% of those aged between 60 and 69 have so far taken a booster jab. It was also announced that as from January 17 the vaccination certificates would be valid for three months for those who had the second dose and valid for another nine months after the third dose. Fearne added that as from next Monday, the government will no longer allow standing events with the exception of wedding and funerals and all establishments have to close by 1pm. Spectators will not be allowed to attend sports events. Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela added that in the coming weeks the government would be evaluating whether the wage supplements would be extended to help businesses cope with the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Health Minister added that from January 17, all bars, restaurants, clubs, gyms, pools and spas, casinos, gaming halls, cinema, theatres and sports venues would be open only for those who have a valid vaccination certificate. He added that by the time schools reopen in January, the government is aiming to have all children aged between 5 and 11 vaccinated.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese Labour government suffered another blow with the latest resignation coming from the Education Minister Justyne Caruana. Caruana confirmed that she was resigning from her ministerial post during a meeting with Labour Prime Minister Robert Abela and that she would not be contesting the next general election. Earlier this month, Caruana was found in breach of the ethics code by Commissioner George Hyzler following an investigation into the €5,000-a-month contract the ministry awarded to Caruanàs close friend and former footballer Daniel Bogdanovic, despite he had no experience for the role. Bogdanovic was tasked to carry out a study on school sports activities, a job he was not capable to do. It was also revealed that the report, for which Bogdanovic was to be paid €15,000, was compiled by a consultant to the minister. Bogdanovic was awarded a three-month contract worth €15,000 to review the curriculum of the national sports school despite having no pedagogical training.
This was not the first time that Caruana resigns from her ministerial post. In January 2020, Caruana resigned as minister for Gozo following revelations on her ex-husband’s friendship – former police deputy commissioner Silvio Valletta – with Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech accused as the mastermind behind the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The United States governement imposed a travel ban on former energy minister Konrad Mizzi and the former Chief of Staff of ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri. The US Department of State announced that the decision was taken due to Mizzìs and Schembrìs involvement in significant corruption. In an official statement, the Department of State said that in their official capacities as Minister of Energy and Conservation of Water and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Mizzi and Schembri were involved in corrupt acts that included using their political influence and official power for their personal benefit. “Specifically, there is credible information that Mizzi and Schembri were involved in a corrupt scheme that entailed the award of a government contract for the construction of a power plant and related services in exchange for kickbacks and bribes. Their actions undermined the rule of law and the Maltese public’s faith in their government’s democratic institutions and public processes.”
Konrad Mizzi was expelled from Labour’s parliamentary group in 2020 after he came under attack in connection with the Enemalta Mozura wind farm scandal. However Mizzi remained as an independent MP. Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech accused as the mastermind behind the killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had made millions through his company 17 Black by making profit off a wind farm project Enemalta bought in Montenegro in late 2015. Both Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi were mentioned in the Panama Papers. Mizzi was the only EU minister to be revealed in the data leak. Daphne Caruana Galizia had disclosed that Schembri and Mizzi opened offshore companies after the 2013 general election and created trusts in New Zealand. Tillgate Inc. and Hearnville Inc. owned by Schembri and Mizzi respectively were expected to receive payments from a secret company 17 Black based in Dubai owned by Tumas Group Chief Executive Officer and Electrogas director Yorgen Fenech. The company had an account at Noor Bank in Dubai.
Earlier this year, it was also revealed that Macbridge, a second secret company intended to direct money to Schembrìs and Mizzìs offshore structure was linked to a Chinese negotatior. The owner of Macbridge was Tang Zhaomin, the mother-in-law of Chen Cheng, a key negotiator in the acquisition of a 33% stake in Enemalta by a Chinese state-owned company. Emails had listed two secret companies – Macbridge and 17 Black – as target clients for the Panama companies established by Schembri and Mizzi, stating that they would provide some €5,000 a day in funding.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has registered a new record of new COVID-19 cases. The local health authorties declared that 582 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, the highest number to date since the beginning of the pandemic.
Two men aged 52 and 53-year have also died of coronavirus, bringing the total number of victims up to 473. According to the latest Covid update, 2,991 cases are active, of which 47 are in hospital. Four patients are receiving intensive care at Mater Dei hospital. Public Health consultant Dr. Tanya Melillo declared that the new cases expected to continue increasing in the coming days and stressed that it was highly unlikely for Covid-19 numbers to decrease before the end of the year. Although the Omicron variant of Covid-19 has not yet been confirmed by the Maltese health authorities, Melillo confirmed that the public health authorities are working on the assumption that it has already reached Malta.
The present increase in positive cases is putting Mater Dei Hospital at breaking point. Dr Melollo added that the existing measures are not being respected with people not wearing masks in public spaces and at their workplace, while still socialising in crowds. Another reason behind the increase in positive cases is that the effect of the vaccines is waning among people who still need to receive the booster shot. The booster, which is set to be offered to the entire population, has just been made available to over-35s this week. So far, a total of 1,019,517 vaccine doses had been administered, including 177,989 booster doses. Meanwhile, the President of Malta George Vella and his wife Miriam are self-isolating after they were in close contact with a tested positive for Covid-19. All appointments have either been rescheduled or will be held in his absence. The union representing the nurses is urging the Maltese government to reintroduce restrictions to bring the situation under control.
The Malta Employers’ Association also called for stricter COVID-19 measures in view of the rising cases and warned that Government inaction might lead to a serious economic slowdown during the first quarter of 2022. MEA director Joseph Farrugia said public health policies should not be subject to popular opinion and emphasised that all necessary actions are to be taken to minimise the negative effects of the pandemic. Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said that Malta needs a Cabinet of Ministers that is focused on the challenges it is facing and asked whether Prime Minister Robert Abela will act and take timely decisions in order to bring the number of coronavirus cases under control or whether he is going to give in to the pressure he is currently facing following the latest political scandals involving government MPs and cabinet members.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ROME (ITALPRESS/MNA) – “The health situation is increasingly tense. The spread of the Omicron variant is phenomenal, demonstrating that one cannot rely only on vaccines, including third and subsequent doses, perhaps every 6 months, to obtain partial protection. The inconsistencies of health policies in response to the pandemic contribute to generating a climate of uncertainty and mistrust in the population.
A study conducted by researchers from Sapienza University, University of Tor Vergata, IRCCS and University of San Raffaele, in collaboration with the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, and the University of Miami has shown that a combination of natural substances (polyphenols and activators of sirtuins) inhibits viral replication and reduces inflammation “. Camillo Ricordi, tricolor brain in force in the USA, director of the Diabetes Research Institute and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami.
“Trans-resveratrol, pterostilbene, ellagic acid and onochiol are key ingredients of the A5 + compound, contained in the SIRT500 Plus product. This product was initially developed to slow down the aging processes. The results obtained on several cell lines have been the first to demonstrate once an important inhibition of viral replication, after infection with both the influenza A virus and that of Sars-CoV-2”, adds the scientist who reconstructs the genesis of the project.
“International researchers are working on a project that, born as the ‘Batman Project’ and now renamed Fit4Pandemic.org, aims to make the human species ‘resistant’ to severe viral infections, autoimmunity (from type 1 diabetes to the other 100 autoimmune diseases affecting 20% of the population) and chronic diseases linked to aging (affecting over 90% of over 65) – continues Ricordi – also associated with the serious complications of Covid-19. Bats have learned to evolve over 70-80 million years, to become resistant to such pandemics. The goal is now to make the human species resistant too.
“Studies are underway – explains Ricordi – to define the mechanisms associated with this important inhibition of viral replication in vitro, which does not appear to be limited to a single variant of the virus. These results could pave the way for the development of ‘natural’ therapeutic strategies. to mitigate or block the progression of viral infections, in addition to vaccines and other drug therapies”, remarks the scientist who laments the absence of interest from the pharmaceutical industry: “In the absence of major pharmaceutical interests, perhaps also for the simplicity of the protocol, the absence of patents and the limited costs of the proposed treatments, urgent institutional commitments and philanthropic contributions could allow to carry out the rigorous clinical verification of the proposed protocols”.
Fit4Pandemic.org and The Cure Alliance (www.the curealliance.org) launch an appeal “to identify possible collaborators, institutional and private sources of funding, in support of this initiative that could change international health perspectives, not only in the context of the Covid pandemic”, concludes Ricordi.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has registered the second highest number of Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic. The local health authorties confirmed that during the last 24 hours, 386 new cases were detected as the number of new Covid-19 cases continued to rise. So far, Malta has not detected any cases of the Omicron variant.
With 71 confirmed recoveries, the number of active cases is now up to 2,505 including foreign students amongst them around 17 from Italy. They arrived in Malta last month as part of the ‘Erasmus Plus’ project. So far, Malta has not detected any cases of the Omicron variant.
40 patients are presently receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hospital, of whom five are still in the intensive care.
The local health authorities confirmed that around 5,000 people are currently quarantined due to COVID-19 and the number is set to increase So far, a total of 1,016,374 vaccine doses had been administered, including 175,395 booster doses.
The pandemic has claimed 471 lives in Malta to date.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Patients in Malta who suffer from epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and who need chemotherapy treatment have the right to buy the first cannabis medicine produced locally.
The Malta company Zen Pharma which employs 34 workers, obtained a licence for the research and production of medicinal cannabis and is capable of producing 12 tons of the medicine annually. The cannabis flower is imported in Malta, then dried and a number of tests are carried out to ensure the high quality of the product.
Medicinal cannabis may be purchased with a doctor’s prescription. This development will increase the patient’s access to an alternative treatment based on medicinal cannabis.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews