People aged over 35 can now register to get the COVID-19 booster jab as Malta steps up efforts to contain rising case numbers.
Health Minister Chris Fearne announced the latest update, adding that the country has yet to detect a case of the Omicron variant that is sweeping the UK and parts of Europe.
He pointed to the booster as being crucial to tackling the spread of COVID-19, especially the more contagious Omicron variant.
While there has yet to be an Omicron case detected in Malta, Fearne said it was only a matter of days before a case is detected since it has already been established that the variant will become the dominant virus in Europe in the coming weeks.
"As we speak, we do not have Omicron cases but we have sequencing carried out every day, and in the coming hours we will have the latest information in hand. If not today, or tomorrow, we are bound to have an Omicron case soon.
"The booster is key here," he said.
He said those people aged over 35 and who took their second dose of the vaccine more than four months ago will be able to register for the booster from Monday.
But the government's vaccine registration website, https://vaccin.gov.mt/, was already accepting registrations from over 35s as of Thursday.
So far, 163,186 people have received their booster, amounting to 90 per cent of the over-80s, 82 per cent of those between 70 and 79, 76 per cent of those aged between 60 and 69 and 45 per cent of those over 50.
Those over 35 who took the Janssen vaccine will be eligible for their second dose after just two months, Fearne said, adding that European health authorities had given the green light for this.
'Measures are calibrated real-time'
On the spike in new COVID cases, Fearne said that given that the number of patients in hospital has remained low, there is no need to introduce stricter measures just yet.
"A lot will depend on how many people take the booster jab and the flu jab. If the situation in hospital stays as it currently is, we won’t need to add any restrictions.
"We calibrate our measures in real-time and we monitor closely what is happening in the ITU and hospital," Fearne said.
On travel restrictions, Fearne acknowledged some EU countries were introducing new measures but said this would not be the case in Malta. This, he said, was a result of decisions taken in summer, when it was decided that only the vaccinated would be allowed to travel to the island.
"At the time we were criticised for that, but now other countries are doing what we did months ago," Fearne said.