Suchergebnisse

Introduction: COVID-19 remains pandemic with countries scrambling to mass vaccinate populations, prioritising health-care workers, the elderly and the vulnerable. Malta is a small Mediterranean country with a population of circa half a million with free healthcare at point-of-care. This paper reviews the adaptations made to cope with mass vaccination. Methods: Permission was obtained to tour hospital facilities. Photographs were taken with and edited on a mobile phone, a previously utilised methodology. Results: Vaccination commenced on 27/12/20 with priorities as above. Malta Medical School lecture halls were initially used, followed by outpatients at the country's regional hospital, as well as other lecture halls, and National Health Service clinics. Virtually all medically vulnerable individuals have had their first doses as well as most individuals 60 years of age, with the 55–60 year age group currently targeted. Malta is well ahead of the European Union average. Discussion: Exacting logistics and cooperation by all local authorities (such as the University of Malta) has resulted in a highly successful vaccine rollout. The eventual licencing of vaccination for children and the availability of booster dose/s will further facilitate the eventual attainment of herd immunity. This must be a global effort lest escape variants render these efforts futile. ; peer-reviewed

Introduction: Seasonal influenza globally infects 5%-15% annually, with a total of 3-5 million cases of severe illness and ≤500,000 deaths. Hospital-acquired influenza has a particularly high mortality, and healthcare workers are frequently the source of these infections. This study was carried out to ascertain last year's influenza vaccination uptake in Malta's government sector healthcare workers, and estimate the likely vaccine uptake rate in the coming winter season when COVID-19 is expected to be prevalent. --- Methods: A short, anonymous questionnaire was sent via the sector's standard email services (open 30/06-17/072020). --- Results: There were a total of 735 (7.6%) responses from a total workforce of 9,681. The proportion of Maltese healthcare workers who did not take the vaccine last year but who are likely to take the vaccine this winter halved from 41% to 21%. Doctors had the highest baseline uptake (23% refused vaccination in 2019) and the highest likely uptake next winter (6% likely to refuse vaccination in 2020). Analysis by age showed a likely increase in vaccine uptake with increasing age across almost all age brackets. --- Discussion: Influenza vaccination is advantageous and incurs a trivial burden. Clinicians, legislators and ethicists are increasingly aware of this aspect of healthcare, and increasingly mandate compulsory seasonal influenza vaccination for healthcare workers, where vaccine refusal can be taken to equate to maleficent practice. Education with regard to the low risk of side effects may increase voluntary uptake. Institutions are also responsible for ensuring employee vaccination, and this is even more the case for next winter in the setting of the potential co-circulation of novel COVID-19 with influenza. ; peer-reviewed

Background: COVID-19 vaccines reduce morbidity and mortality, but mass vaccination faces multiple challenges leading to different vaccination rates in different countries. Malta, a small European country, has achieved a very rapid vaccination rollout. This paper presents a narrative review of Malta's vaccination strategy and its impact on the country's COVID-19 situation. Methods: Data was obtained through a literature review of Maltese newspapers and from Malta's COVID-19 government dashboard. A comprehensive summary of vaccination operations was provided by Malta's COVID-19 vaccination team. Results: Malta comprised part of the European Commission joint procurement and obtained the maximum vac- cines that were eligible from all manufacturers. Four tier priority population groups were set up, with both vaccine doses (where applicable) allocated and stored for each individual. Multiple hubs were set up to simultaneously administer first and eventually second doses accordingly. To date (August 9, 2021) 398,128 of the population are fully vaccinated and 405,073 received the first dose, with both morbidity and mortality declining progressively as vaccination coverage progressed. Conclusion: Malta has successfully implemented a COVID-19 strategy that rapidly covered a substantial proportion of the population over a short period of time, with herd immunity reached by end of May 2021. Low population vaccination hesitancy and high vaccine doses availability were two major factors in this success. ; peer-reviewed