Maltese Study finds heart-related issues after Covid-19 / Malta News Briefing – Wednesday 13 July 2022

1745- Latest News update

Times of Malta says A delegation of MEPs that travelled to Malta in May on a fact-finding mission has expressed concern about impunity afforded to key figures in the Joseph Muscat administration, including the former prime minister himself, his chief of staff Keith Schembri, and minister Konrad Mizzi.

MaltaToday says Malta should have an anti-corruption inquiring magistrate and criminalise the obstruction of justice, the Nationalist Party said in the wake of the EU’s latest rule of law assessment.

Newsbook says that Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Mario Grech as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, formerly known as the Congregation for Bishops.

TVM says Figures published by MIA, the Malta International Airport, show the signs of continued recovery with the number of airport users during June continuing to decrease in the imbalance caused by the pandemic.

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Maltese Study finds heart-related issues after Covid-19: A Maltese study has found that COVID-19 patients still had high levels of heart damage and inflammation indicators up to five months after being infected. The University of Malta research, conducted by Rachel Xuereb for her PhD, also revealed that COVID-positive patients’ complaints of shortness of breath months later were “not merely in the mind.” Assessments of their blood pressure and ECG monitoring over a 24-hour period also found a difference in heart rate variability between COVID-positive and negative respondents.

MEA says Work-Life Balance directive puts new pressure on employers: The Malta Employers’ Association stated that, although it appreciated the fact that government, up till now, has generally stuck to the minimum entitlements of the Work-Life Balance Directive to cause minimum disruption to workplaces, the costs of these measures will still be carried by employers from 2024 onwards. The Directive does not state that expenses related to work-life balance measures should be borne by employers, the MEA said in a statement. The Association also shared reservations about the repeated emphasis, during the press conference, that this was ‘only the beginning’. Government should state exactly what its medium and long-term plans are in this regard so that employers will be forewarned and may plan accordingly, it added.

Covid-19 Update: Three persons passed away with Covid-19 overnight, while 418 new cases were reported. 601 recoveries lowered the active case tally to 7561.

Morning Briefing

Perici Calascione cleared for PN Deputy post

The PN’s Administrative Committee of the Nationalist Party has greenlighted 60-year-old Alex Perici Calascione to contest the post of deputy leader of the party after considering a due diligence report. Perici Calascione will not be contested. Following changes to its statute, the PN is to have one deputy leader instead of the current two. No date has yet been set for the vote. (Times of Malta)

Gafa acting after pressure by civil society – NGO

Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa is only taking action against Pilatus Bank after being forced to do his duty by civil society, NGO Repubblika lamented.
The NGO issued a statement in reaction to comments given by Gafa. The police chief said that investigations led to both the bank and its money laundering reporting officer facing charges in court, as well as the police being in the process of issuing international arrest warrants. (The Malta Independent)

Covid-19 Update: 450 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday, while one person passed away. Despite 3,425 new cases over the past seven days, active cases declined to 7,747.