Speaking on Wednesday, Health Minister Chris Fearne, said that if the cases of Covid-19 continue to increase over the coming days, then there may be a need for new mitigation measures to introduced next week.

Particularly, he said if the main factors for the increase are found to be the colder weather or the variant which was identified in the UK and which spreads at a much faster rate.

He went on to say that the increase in cases could be the result of three factors – social activities inside during the festive season, the colder weather, or the new variant, which had also been detected in Malta.

Dr Fearne, explaining the vaccination timetable said that all frontliners, those in homes for the elderly and the vulnerable will have been vaccinated by the end of May.

He said that Malta would have vaccinated 16,000 people by the end of January, and health authorities will hold reserves to administer second doses for those who have had their first vaccine.

An invitation will be sent out to all household starting mid-May, meaning that all those who have not been vaccinated will have the opportunity to make an appointment for the vaccine to be administered, Dr Fearne said. He added that anyone over the age of 55 will have priority.

Dr Fearne said, that if only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available, then the aim is that by end of summer the country will have achieved herd immunity.

The European Commission has today authorised the Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna in Europe

It said that first deliveries of the vaccine to countries in Europe expected to begin next week.

Authorisation follows European Medicines Agency recommendation of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna.

The European Commission said that it has secured 160 million doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna to date.

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