Updated 3.50pm

Flu vaccinations will be available at health centres this coming Sunday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said.

In a tweet published on Wednesday afternoon, Fearne said that a batch of 100,000 flu vaccines would be arriving in Malta over the coming days and that inoculation would begin at health centres on Sunday.

Vaccines will be available to anyone aged 55 or over as well children aged between three and five and people suffering from chronic illnesses for the first week, through to Sunday, December 6.

All health centres will be open from 8am to 7pm as from Sunday.

After this period, the flu vaccine will be available to any member of the general public. 

Children from three up to nine years suffering from chronic illnesses will be able to receive the vaccine from the Mosta, Floriana, Paola and Gozo health centres between 8am and 7pm.

It is the second batch of flu vaccines to reach Malta this year, with an initial batch of 100,000 doses having been administered to elderly people, front liners and people classified as vulnerable to repercussions of COVID-19.

An estimated 118,000 people have been classified as vulnerable to COVID-19 repercussions.

Residents in homes for the elderly who missed out on the vaccine during the first round will be vaccinated on Saturday, before doses are made available at health centres. 

Health authorities have made a concerted push for people to take the flu vaccine this winter to minimise strain on local healthcare resources due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Influenza season, which typically stretches between October and May with a peak in January, coincides with what epidemiologists fear will be the peak of the pandemic.