More than four out of every five people who died while COVID-19 positive since the pandemic broke out had the virus as their underlying cause of death, Charmaine Gauci said on Wednesday.
However, that 82% figure fell to 67% last January, as a result of a number of factors including vaccination and the onset of Omicron, which in most cases is less severe than previous variants. All other victims had other underlying conditions which were made more serious with the presence of COVID.
Gauci, who is Malta's superintendent of public health, explained when speaking on Times of Malta's Ask Charmaine programme that according to studies covering the whole term of the pandemic so far, 900 more people would have died in Malta were it not for the vaccines.
Although as many as five or six people per day had died while COVID-positive recently, one had to see the figure in proportion to the community rate of COVID cases, going back four weeks, she said. That rate was very high four weeks ago, she observed.
“Without vaccination we would have had many more deaths,” she said, while warning that although very effective, vaccines did not provide a total guarantee and people should still take precautions including mask-wearing and avoiding crowded places.
Malta Film Awards controversy
Many of the questions, made by readers, asked what action would be taken over a lack of mask-wearing during Saturday’s Malta Film Awards. Comparisons were drawn with the refusal of a permit for the St Paul procession and restrictions on weddings.
Gauci replied that the health authorities are in contact with the Tourism Authority over the observance of COVID-19 rules on Saturday since the MTA is the body that gives the approval for such events following a risk assessment.
She said the authorities acted on all reports of regulations having been broken.
As for the Valletta procession, she pointed to the difference in protocols, with no permits currently being issued for stand-up events, as is the procession. Those protocols remained in force, she said and would be removed step by step depending on the number of new COVID cases and the situation in hospital.
As for weddings, she pointed out that this was the only type of stand-up event which is currently allowed. People could either opt for a sit-down wedding where unvaccinated people can attend, or a stand-up event open to fully vaccinated people and capped at up to 100 guests.
Asked about the situation where COVID victims are buried quickly in special graves which cannot be opened for 10 year, Gauci explained that these rules applied for people who died while the virus was still active in them. The situation, she said, remained under evaluation in Malta and abroad and various other options were under consideration but one had to be careful to guarantee public safety.
Waning immunity
Asked about waning immunity and the nine-month term of vaccination certificates after the booster dose, Gauci said there was no doubt that the vaccines had been very effective in reducing the number of hospitalisations and deaths. However the actual duration of immunity after the booster shot was not known yet and was being closely studied. Decisions would be taken as the evidence developed.
Although it was true that there had been an increase in the number of positive cases among elderly people, who were among the first to take the booster shot, it was also a fact that the booster had kept low the number of people taken to hospital, she explained. the number of new cases was not paralleLled by the number of hospital cases.
Asked why children aged 5-11 still needed to wear a mask at school, she explained that many of those children were still waiting for their second dose, to ensure stronger immunity.
The programme was presented by Claire Farrugia.