Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1318996
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 DECEMBER 2020 NEWS Cases 11,101 Active 1,856 Recoveries 9,079 Deaths 166 Swabs 461,770 LATEST COVID-19 www.maltatoday.com.mt/covid19 MALTA registered 121 new cas- es of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours up to noon yesterday, bringing the total of active cases to 1,856, the Health Authorities announced. Information released by the Health Ministry on Facebook showed that there were 144 recov- eries. Yesterday's cases are still be- ing investigated but from the cases discovered, 19 cases were family members of previously known cases, 14 were contacts of positive work colleagues, eight were from direct contact with positive cases, and two were from social gather- ings with other positive cases. The death toll stands at 166. 3,033 swabs were conducted in the last 24 hours, with a grand total of 461,770 swabs having been con- ducted since the start of the pan- demic. Malta has registered 11,101 coro- navirus cases since the start of the pandemic in March. 9,079 patients have recovered. 121 new COVID-19 cases CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The results were published in international journal Science Direct. It is estimated that COV- ID-19 herd immunity may be achieved by a vaccination rate of between 55% to 82%. But given that a COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely to be 100% effec- tive, the population vaccinated "should ideally approach total- ity" according to Grech, who warns that vaccine hesitancy may hinder the attainment of this goal. In the survey, 44.4% of train- ee GPs had replied "unlike- ly" when asked whether they would be taking the vaccine, in contrast to 8.3% of GPs. The survey was based on an anonymous questionnaire sent out via the email mailing list of the Malta College of Family Doctors. Significantly the survey showed a higher percentage in both categories intending to take the influenza vaccine. In fact, 87.5% of GPs and 59.3% of trainees replied that they would be taking the influ- enza vaccine. According to Grech, the pro- jected increased influenza vac- cine uptake is related to stud- ies indicating that contracting influenza with COVID-19 may double the risk of death. With regard to COVID-19 vaccination, the study shows that younger doctors and train- ees are more hesitant on being inoculated. One reason for this is that young people are less con- cerned with COVID-19 than the adult and elderly popula- tion, possibly because of per- ceived milder symptoms in their age group and their lower risk of complications, which Grech describes as an "unwise insouciant attitude." On the other hand, older in- dividuals are at higher risk and therefore it is even more in their self-interest and in the in- terest of their family members to take the vaccine. Since GPs have a vital role in encouraging others to vaccinate themselves the study called for information on the efficacy and safety of the upcoming vaccine aimed at medical profession- als. The majority of COVID-19 concerns pertained to insuffi- cient knowledge and concern regarding potential long-term side effects. While acknowledging that concerns with regard to insuf- ficient knowledge are not com- pletely invalid, Grech notes that this concern has been ad- dressed only vaccines that have passed through phase 3 trials will be purchased by Malta. 'Young people less concerned with COVID-19' Prof. Victor Grech