Frontliners and elderly people could start being vaccinated against COVID-19 in the first weeks of 2021, after receiving a letter with an appointment for the jab, the Health Minister has said.

Speaking on One’s TV programme Paperscan, Chris Fearne said the vaccination is split over two doses, and the letter will specify when and where the addressee can receive the jab in order to avoid queues and crowding at clinics.

The first to be vaccinated will be people who come in contact with the vulnerable - such as nurses, pharmacists, police and civil protection officials - and those aged over 80. 

Once these groups are covered, vulnerable and younger people will be eligible for the vaccination.

The vaccination will be free, and will be provided by the public authorities, Fearne clarified. 

So far, Malta and other EU member states have drawn up an agreement with six companies who are producing a COVID-19 vaccination, with the one most likely to be approved first being that submitted by Pfizer.

Malta had secured a batch of the jab in advance in order to avoid a situation where it ends up without one, as had happened during the H1N1 pandemic, Fearne said.

The minister added that Malta had secured 500,000 jabs of a vaccine manufactured by Pfizer which should, if everything goes to plan, be available for administration in the first weeks of 2021. Enough jabs have been booked to cover the whole population during the first few months of the year.

The European Medicines Agency is currently running test to ensure that the vaccination is safe for consumption, a process that should be concluded by the end of December, Fearne added. In case of any issues, the process could be delayed by a few weeks. 

The local authorities will only give the go-ahead for approved vaccinations and the government has already prepared the cold storage facilities needed to store the jabs.

Vaccination will not be mandatory, however, the authorities have urged people to get vaccinated against the virus.

Australian airline company Qantas has even warned that unvaccinated people will not be able to travel on their fleet. 

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