The lucky 26th birthday of the annual charity telethon l-Istrina has kicked off on Sunday at noon.
Every year on 26 December, funds are collected for various local entities, primarily Malta Community Chest Fund. The MCCF funds expensive treatment abroad for local patients. This is the second time the event is hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with €6.5 million collected in 2020. Head of MCCF and President of Malta George Vella could not be physically present for the event, as him and his wife and currently in quarantine. He virtually kickstarted the telethon, appealing for donations towards those in need, and for unity. MaltaToday
A 69-year-old woman died while COVID-positive, health authorities reported on Sunday, as the number of patients in hospital rose to 80. Health authorities recorded 572 new COVID-19 infections on Boxing Day, remarkably less than the 917 new cases reported on Christmas day. Sunday’s victim was the 475th person to die while COVID-positive in Malta. Times of Malta
The Nationalist Party has said that strong action and transparent decisions against the pandemic, as well as proper enforcement of measures to reduce the spread of the virus are crucial, even in light of the reopening of schools in less than two weeks. In a press statement on Sunday, the Nationalist Party noted that a faster roll-out of the Covid-19 booster offers more endurance and a stable herd immunity. Independent
A staggering 480 flights scheduled to operate to and from Malta in the coming weeks have been cancelled as passengers grow wary of travel in the face of a COVID-19 resurgence. The first quarter of 2022 was looking dismal for air travel, Alan Borg, the chief executive at Malta International Airport, toldTimes of Malta. “The hotchpotch of uncoordinated travel restrictions across Europe is confusing passengers and destroying consumer confidence in air travel, leaving airports and airlines to bear the brunt of hasty, haphazard decisions,” Borg said.
Morning Briefing
President calls for vaccine take-up on Christmas day address
President of the Republic George Vella called on citizens to to listen to the advice of medical experts and make full use of the vaccines recommended. “In our country, we are very lucky that the vaccination process was and still is very efficient,” Vella said in his Christmas message. Vella asked people to take stock of lessons learnt, adding that “together, let’s build a future where our collective health is still safeguarded in the best possible way.” Vella appeared to express discomfort with recent positions taken on migration, insisting on the need for compassion: “Sometimes we might have been passive in the face of physical or mental harm, or we have shown indifference to those among us who had to leave their country to escape war, violence, or discrimination,” Vella said.
Covid Update
Malta hit another heavy tally of newly detected COVID-19 cases on Christmas Day, when the health ministry reported 917 new infections. Active cases have increased to 5,289. A 40-year-old man lost his life while Covid-19 positive, taking the death tally to 474.
25 people in distress in Malta SAR
Rescue NGO Alarm Phone said that it had lost contact with a group of 25 asylum seekers who on Christmas Day were in distress in the Maltese search and rescue region. “We lost contact with the 25 people in distress 12 hours ago,” Alarm Phone said. The NGO said the Malta authorities ignored its call for help. It said the boat was some 200km away from land, and “we’re very concerned about the well-being of the people”.
