Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1327039
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 JANUARY 2021 NEWS Employment part-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MINISTRY FOR HEALTH The Ministry for Health is accepting applications for the position of a Project Administrator For the Project "ESF 02.053 – Developing Allied Health Capacity to Sustain Health Care Needs" More details regarding the above vacancy and application can be accessed from the Government website http://recruitment.gov.mt and Government Gazette issued on Friday, 8 th January 2021. Interested persons are to submit their application, together with a detailed Curriculum Vitae, by not later than 17.15 hrs (Central European Time) of Friday, 22 nd January 2021. Cases 14,212 Active 2,221 Recoveries 11,759 Deaths 232 Swabs 540,260 LATEST COVID-19 www.maltatoday.com.mt/covid19 THE record for new cases of the coronavirus was broken twice this week, with numbers of new infections reaching 245 on Satur- day. In its daily Facebook bulletin on Saturday, the ministry of Health said that the new cases were still being investigated. Of Friday's cases, it said, 40 were family members of previ- ously known infections, 22 were from contact on the workplace, 15 were direct contact with other positive cases and 13 were from social gatherings. Earlier on Saturday, the health ministry announced the deaths of two elderly COVID -19 patients. Malta has so far registered 14,212 COVID-19 cases and a total of 11,759 recoveries. A total of 540,260 swabs have been taken since March 2020. An 85-year old man who had tested positive for COVID-19 just two days ago, died late on Friday at Mater Dei hospital. Friday's second death was of a 77-year old woman who had test- ed positive for the disease on 3 January. There are currently 2,221 active COVID-19 cases in Malta, ac- cording to the latest figures. 232 people have died of COVID-19 in Malta since the beginning of the pandemic. Record 245 COVID-19 cases, two dead JPO contests casual election that could lose Labour a seat MATTHEW VELLA FORMER Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has submitted his nomination for the casual election to fill the 7th District seat vacated by Edward Scicluna. The Malta Council for Science and Technology chairman will join former Labour MP Gavin Gulia, who currently chairs the Malta Tourism Authority, who filed his nomination on Friday. Earlier this week, former Ra- bat mayor Charles Azzopardi submitted his nomination in what could turn out to be an em- barrassing situation for the PL. Azzopardi contested the 2017 general election on the Labour ticket but in 2019 was stopped from contesting the Rabat local election after allegations of cor- ruption. He subsequently became a member of the Nationalist Party and also voted in the leadership election last October. Azzopardi was not allowed by the PL to contest the 2019 local elections following allegations of corruption and nepotism when he was mayor. No charges have ever been filed against him de- spite a police investigation into the claims. Given that his name was on the general election ballot, the par- ty cannot stop Azzopardi from contesting the casual election and if elected he could be joining Konrad Mizzi, Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia as an inde- pendent. Azzopardi is in pole position to win the casual election, and by joining the PN he will cut the PL's parliamentary majority to three seats. The PL had kicked out Konrad Mizzi from its fold last year and he now sits as an independent in parliament although the former minister did pledge to continue supporting the government. Pullicino Orlando is a former PN MP who eloped to Labour after falling out with the Gonzi administration in 2012. Pullici- no Orlando contested the last election on the Labour ticket and currently chairs the Malta Council for Science and Tech- nology. The casual election was made necessary after Scicluna resigned from parliament when he was appointed governor of the Cen- tral Bank of Malta. Left: Labour candidate Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. Below: Charles Azzopardi voted in the PN's leadership election in 2020 and could now become a PN MP if he wins the casual election