Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1437264
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 DECEMBER 2021 NEWS COVID-19 The English Language Teaching Council has withdrawn the licence of. ICTQ CENTRE FOR ENGLISH EXCELLENCE 112, Gorg Borg Olivier Street, Mellieħa [fmr.] Licence No - ELT 280/2014 ICTQ has no licence to operate as an ELT School with immediate effect. PUBLIC NOTICE 100 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Tuesday, figures published by the Health Ministry show. No new deaths were registered in the last 24-hours, with the total number of deaths standing at 471. Active cases stand at 1,406 after 90 recov- eries were registered. There are currently 20 coronavirus pa- tients being cared for at Mater Dei Hospital, of which two are in the ITU. Until yesterday, 997,459 vaccine doses were administered, of which 158,607 were booster doses. THE Malta College of Pathologists has warned the order to wear facemasks outdoors as part of new COVID-19 measures, risked alienating the public and creating resentment. The College said it was important that interven- tions related to COVID-19 need to be backed by scientific evidence "or, at least, a strong theoretical rationale." The College said scientific literature suggests that less than 1% of COVID-19 infections are like- ly to be acquired in an outdoor setting, and even then after a prolonged length of time in crowded situations. "More emphasis therefore should be placed on limiting participation in indoor activities and avoiding large gatherings indoors. It does not make sense to impose wearing of masks outdoors in all situations irrespective of risk. Wearing of masks outdoors should be limited to situations in which there are large gatherings, crowded spaces and mixing of different households," MCP secre- tary Alexandra Betts said. "Walking outdoors by oneself or with members of the same household at a good distance from oth- ers does not pose a risk of transmission. Measures lacking scientific evidence will only serve to alien- ate the public and introduce resentment which in turn introduces the risk that the truly effective practices will be ignored by a disillusioned public." Malta has been a leader in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout with proactive planning and execution, noted as key reasons for the success of the vaccina- tion campaign. But the College of Pathologists said it was essen- tial that the same scientific approach be adopted in other COVID-19 related public health measures. "These are just as important and need to be equally accepted by the Maltese public if we are to avoid the worst consequences of the next wave of the pandemic," Betts said. 100 cases registered, 20 patients in hospital Woman claims damages for infection following COVID vaccination with dirty needle Pathologists say order to wear COVID mask outdoors not backed by science A 24-year-old woman from Zabbar has filed a claim for damages against the health au- thorities, claiming to have suf- fered permanent scarring after being vaccinated for COVID with a "dirty needle." In a judicial letter filed be- fore the First Hall of the Civil Court, the plaintiff explained that she had been vaccinated last May, receiving the John- son and Johnson vaccine from the Public Health authorities at MCAST in Paola. The judicial letter states that medical records showed that the needle used to vaccinate her had caused an infection which left her with a permanent scar on her arm. Arguing that this was a direct result of gross negligence, the plaintiff is requesting the Di- rector General of the Health Department, the Ministry of Health, the Superintendent of Public Health and the Principal Medical Officer compensate her for the damages she suf- fered. Lawyers Franco Debono, Mar- ion Camilleri and Francesca Zarb signed the judicial letter.