Can vaccinated individuals still suffer from the long-term effects of COVID-19 that we’ve heard so much about? – Daniel D’Agostino

Most people who are infected with COVID-19 get better within weeks of the illness. However, some people experience post-COVID conditions or the  so-called long-haul symptoms. These conditions can have different types and combinations of health problems for different lengths of time.

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to significantly reduce infections as well as the risk of severe consequences of the  illness, including hospitalisation and death. That means that, if a fully vaccinated person does become infected, the illness is much more likely to be mild.

When will the four households rule be updated? It seems many people have forgotten this is still a rule. Are inspections still being carried out? – Mario Vella

For fully vaccinated people, the protection offered by the vaccine provides opportunities to do things such as spending time with extended family or friends. However, one should continue to be cautious about gatherings, especially indoors, and visiting with an unvaccinated family member, especially if he or she is at high risk for severe disease. For people who are not yet vaccinated one needs to be cautious in meeting others.

The legislation for a maximum of four households meeting in a residential property is still in place to limit gatherings in households considering that viral circulation in still ongoing.

If one decides to host a family gathering, there are various ways how to make it as safe as possible, always limi­ting the number of people who meet at any point in time. Reports of gatherings in households are investigated.

Why is there so much emphasis on taking the second dose of vaccine? Do variants change the picture? – Joe Camilleri

The health authorities have always made it clear that the full course of vaccine should be taken, as for any other vaccines. In a recent document by the ECDC, analysis of data across different population groups and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern confirm that the protection against asymptomatic and symptomatic infection and severe disease conferred by two vaccine doses (Comirnaty, Spikevax and Vaxzevria) is significantly higher than with partial vaccination (one dose of a two-dose regimen).

In addition, the evidence is limited on the long-term effectiveness of partial vaccination. The impact of variants is seen from preliminary evidence from some studies which indicate that individuals who are partially vaccinated are less protected against symptomatic infection with the Delta variant than against the Alpha variant for all vaccine types.

However, full vaccination provides nearly equivalent protection against the Delta and Alpha variants.

This continues to support the recommendation that, in the context of increasing circulation of the Delta variant, full vaccination should be achieved as early as possible and the second vaccine dose be administered after the shortest possible interval.

Why did you decide to send infected students back home? Is this safe? Can tourists ask to go home while infected? – Andrew Farrugia

Several students were found to be positive during their stay in Malta. Anyone who tests positive will need to spend 14 days in isolation from the date of the test. Since many of these were minors, for them not to delay their expected stay further, they were offered repatriation to their country. This was done in a coordinated effort by Malta Tourism Authority, health authorities in Malta and the respective health authorities in the receiving country and the respective embassies.

All repatriation transfers were carried out under infection prevention precautions which are used for mana­ging patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection or for those who are contacts of cases. These were in separate charter flights for the positive cases and for the contacts.

People who are either positive cases or close contacts cannot be allowed to board commercial flights.

If a booster is needed later on in the year, who will be given priority? Will it be those who took the vaccine first? How will this work? – Maria Micallef

The main aim of any potential COVID-19 booster vaccine programme should be to reduce serious disease, including death. The EMA, ECDC, CDC and the UK JCVI recommend that should a booster programme be required, a booster COVID-19 vaccine dose should be offered to the most vulnerable first.

International bodies will continue to review emerging scientific data, including data relating to the duration of immunity from the current vaccines, to be able to inform on policy and direction on booster vaccinations.

Charmaine Gauci, Superintendent for Public Health

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