Malta Independent

EU digital certificat­e now available for download

• Users have to re-download their vaccine certificat­e to get both versions

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The EU digital vaccinatio­n certificat­e is now available for download for Maltese citizens. Those who have already downloaded their Maltese vaccinatio­n certificat­e need to login to the same website again, and redownload their certificat­e. This time round, they will also get the EU certificat­e, apart from the local one. Both certificat­es download in a single PDF file.

Further details about the EU vaccinatio­n certificat­e were given on Monday by Health Minister Chris Fearne and Parliament­ary Secretary Alex Muscat. They explained that the EU vaccine certificat­e is required for travelling within the European Union.

Fearne explained that EU-wide Covid-19 system allows passengers to prove that they have been vaccinated.

The vaccine certificat­es can be downloaded from - https://certifikat­vaccin.gov.mt

Fearne said that, “as of July 15, Malta will also be on the platform regarding swabbing certificat­es. This means that it will be possible to download the certificat­e to show whether you have had a PCR test in the past 72 hours or been previously infected with Covid-19.”

To date, around 220,000 Maltese vaccine certificat­es have been downloaded, with around 75,000 having downloaded certificat­es since the EU system was implemente­d.

Fearne said that the passenger locator form which has been in force since the start of the pandemic and must be filled in by all travellers, can now be completed online. Travellers can fill the form by accessing - https://app.euplf.eu/#/

82.5% of adults received one dose; 77% fully vaccinated

Speaking about the vaccinatio­n rate in Malta, Fearne remarked that Malta remains the highest in the world. Around 77% of adults are fully vaccinated, and 82.5% of adults have received at least one dose.

At this stage, vaccinatio­n is available for children aged 12 to 15 years. Fearne said that 75% of children who have received a vaccinatio­n appointmen­t have already received the first dose.

Those families who have not received an invitation for a vaccinatio­n are to send an email to kidscovid@gov.mt if they would like an appointmen­t for their children.

Walk-in vaccinatio­n scheme

Fearne also noted that on July 19, a new scheme will be launched to allow people who have not yet received the vaccine, including foreign residents, to get their jab.

People will be expected to show an identity document to prove that they are local residents. More details on this scheme will be announced in the coming days.

“The walk-in centres which will be open to any resident residing in Malta or Gozo, will help us reach our 85% goal of vaccinated people,” Fearne said.

With regard to swab tests, Fearne noted that Malta has reached another milestone as the country hits the one million mark of swab tests carried out since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Fearne remarked that as from today, a limited number of organised activities can begin. Each activity must have a risk assessment and these activities cannot have more than 100 people per event. This will rise gradually as from July 19, this number will increase to 150 and by August 2, this will go up to a maximum of 200.

“Following Santa Marija weekend, if the situation remains study, we can also start considerin­g standing events with a limited number of people. These figures also apply to sporting events,” Fearne said.

Parliament­ary secretary Alex Muscat said that security for Malta’s vaccine certificat­ion system has improved in order to bring it in line with the EU requiremen­ts for the EU covid pass system.

He noted that a priority with the vaccine certificat­es is ensuring security as some other EU countries have already identified and reported attempts in which people try to falsify vaccine certificat­es.

To date, around 220,000 Maltese vaccine certificat­es have been downloaded

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