Cases evaluated individually, thoroughly and diligently

We refer to the article ‘What offence have I committed?’ that was published on February 28. The Directorate of Child Protection under the remit of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services rejects and rebuts the allegations made in that article as being unfounded both on a factual and legal basis. Such an article only intended to create sensationalism towards the case. A counter-judicial protest will be filed in the Registry of the Courts in the coming days.

The Directorate of Child Protection is bound by law not to disclose details, as, strictly speaking, the mother of the children interviewed in the article did. In fact, article 77 of Chapter 602 of the Laws of Malta clearly prohibits the publication of information leading  to the identification of children as being in alternative care.

The Directorate of Child Protection and the Foundation for Social Welfare Services strongly rebut the allegation that the care orders were sought following a prior case of abduction by the biological mother.

The directorate evaluates cases individually, thoroughly and diligently, free from outside influences. Moreover, the facts of the case published in the above referred article do not amount to abduction and,  therefore, such a reference to abduction is futile, to say the least.

The Directorate of Child Protection would also like to point out that at no stage in the acts filed before the court or during the preliminary hearing held was the mother’s nationality or race mentioned or inferred to. Therefore, the mother’s claim that the care order would lead to racial discrimination is completely unfounded. The race card was used by the mother and her legal counsel to attract pity.

In view of the above, the Directorate of Child Protection is not at liberty to disclose details of the case in order to rebut the allegations made by the mother. The directorate would like to put the public’s mind at rest however that care orders are sought on the basis of a significant risk or actual violation of the rights of the children involved.

Andy Ellul, FSWS, Daniela Azzopardi Bonann, Directorate for Child Protection, Santa Venera

Vaccinate the whole population

The Brazil COVID-19 variant is another potential problem as there is some doubt whether the present vaccines are effective against it. A third jab with an updated vaccine may be required in the autumn. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The only real solution to this COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination of practically the whole population. The sooner this is achieved the sooner we’ll be nearing normality. We know from Israel and the UK, the top global vaccine roll-out countries, that vaccinated individuals are almost 100 per cent immune from infection and its consequences, including transmission to others. 

We also know from other viral infections, such as measles, that the disease disappears when vaccination rate is optimal and reappears when vaccination rates decline. This happened in Italy in recent years and unvaccinated kids had to be kept out of school in 2019 until their mothers changed their mind and had them vaccinated.

A US study on hospitalised COVID-19 patients, the biggest of its kind, just published online in The Lancet, claims the susceptible to serious complications applies to all ages (and not just the elderly) and to all ethnic groups and are those with diabetes, obesity and heart problems. Those on statins do slightly better because statins are anti-inflammatory.

Malta is supposed to be ahead of the rest of the EU in vaccination rates but some of our over 80-year-olds haven’t yet received their jab notification. At this rate ‘normality’ is when, next year?

The situation in the rest of the EU is even worse. First we get a silly ‘political’ argument about availability of the AstraZeneca vaccine, then some EU countries claim this vaccine is unsuitable for the over 65s, ignoring its approval for all age groups by the European Medicines Authority. This led to many individuals refusing the AstraZeneca jab. Following the UK’s demonstration that this vaccine is as good as any other for all ages, these EU states are now trying to change their story.

Another problem is going to be those refusing vaccination. They will maintain a reservoir of infection. They may also complain about the vaccinated having a certificate which absolves them from restrictions and any further COVID-19 testing to, say, travel. 

The Brazil COVID-19 variant, which is already in Europe, is another potential problem as there is some doubt whether the present vaccines are effective against it. A third jab with an updated vaccine may be required in the autumn. AstraZeneca is working on a nasal spray-delivered vaccine. In the meantime, a wartime-like emergency to vaccinate as fast as possible is the only credible way forward. 

Albert Cilia-Vincenti, Former EMA scientific delegate, Attard

My perspective of the pandemic

Almost a year ago today, I was in the middle of my sixth form mock exams. At that point, my biggest worry was passing the psychology one. Now, my biggest worry is of a much more serious nature: contracting COVID-19 and the much scarier idea of passing it on to a vulnerable relative or friend.

I remember the sigh of relief I felt when I found out schools would be shut for two weeks,  which turned into months. I was sad because I did not get to say ‘goodbye’ to my teachers and friends who would be studying at universities abroad. I was also missing out on milestones like my sixth form graduation ceremony and celebrating birthdays with family.

It angers me that I am having to spend my first year of university (and, at this rate, my second one too) doing lectures online, missing out on the full university experience that I had so looked forward to. However, I know that it is for the benefit of my own health and safety as well as that of others and I know that thousands of other students are in the same boat.

In fact, that is probably one of the few things keeping me motivated to attend seemingly endless online lectures. It is also why it feels like a real slap in the face when I see social media posts and news articles about hordes of people gathered in large groups with no sort of precautions whatsoever taken – as with the infamous illegal rave in Pembroke – and that the authorities are doing little to stop such things from happening.

The government introduced a number of measures and restrictions at the very beginning of the pandemic when there were only a handful of COVID-19 cases a day. Yet, here we are today, almost a year after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Malta, with a massive spike in the number of cases and the government has done almost nothing to address the situation.

It hides behind the guise of vaccines being our salvation – lest we forget, the minister of health’s inappropriate and, quite frankly, irrelevant innuendo about the results of the 2017 elections during an interview about vaccinations – but, at the current rate of vaccination, many people under a certain age will probably not be vaccinated until at least December.  So many people are dying – people who, despite their advanced age, could have lived much longer and happier lives. Could the mishandling of the pandemic be a distraction from a deeper, more complex problem? Think about it.

Amy Mallia, University of Malta, Msida

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