Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne confident that COVID-19 situation can be brought back under control

• ‘Mass events helped spread the virus faster’ • National influenza vaccine, new test in October

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne

has told The Malta Independent on Sunday he is confident that the COVID-19 situation will be brought back under control. During an interview, Fearne was asked about the recent spike in cases, with record daily cases being registered over the past few days. He conceded that mass events did not help the situation – in fact they only helped the virus to spread faster. He added, however, that an increase in cases was always expected with the reopening of the country.

Fearne said he believes that Malta has the necessary expertise to achieve positive results in the coming weeks, just like it did in the first few months of the pandemic.

He also announced that the health authorities will launch a nationwide influenza vaccination campaign in October, with a target of 200,000 people. The current swab test will be modified to be able to tell the difference between a common cold, influenza and COVID-19 he said.

In the meantime, the advice to the general public remains clear, he added. People should avoid crowds and situations where they cannot maintain social distancing. While many of the recently infected people were young and healthy individuals, the situation could turn for the worse if older people are infected, he warned.

Deputy Prime Minister CHRIS FEARNE believes that Malta can bring the COVID-19 situation under control just like it did when the pandemic first hit earlier this year. He also tells Neil Camilleri about an upcoming nationwide influenza vaccination campaign and a new test that will be able to tell the difference between a common cold, influenza and the Coronavirus.

We went from being one of the best countries in the world in the way we handled COVID19, and were setting an example to others, and now we are seeing a drastic increase in cases. What happened?

This situation is not only happening in Malta but all around the world. There were countries where the numbers kept rising since March, and others, like Malta, where the numbers went down but recently started increasing again.

We were doing very well and had several days where there were no new cases. Community spread had practically stopped. But we knew that once we opened the ports again, we would have new cases since the pandemic is still very much with us.

The question is whether these mass activities helped the situation. They certainly did not …in fact they helped the virus spread faster. If a person mingles with a bigger crowd, more people are at risk of getting infected.

We had a spike which now seems to have reached a plateau. We need to keep the numbers under control and do as many tests as possible so that infected individuals are identified and isolated.

Today (Thursday) we will have done more than 150,000 swab tests, which is around a third of the population. This hasn’t been done elsewhere. This was our success in the past months and needs to be our success in the weeks to come.

You said that an increase in cases was expected with the reopening of the country, but were these mass events and the transmission of the virus also anticipated? Was it a mistake to allow them to take place?

We have now stopped all mass events. First, we have already announced two sets of restrictions on large gatherings and have now refined the relevant legal notice to extend these rules to bars and night clubs. Those who do not observe them are being fined. Enforcement is being carried out. Just yesterday, 40 people were fined on the Gozo ferry for not wearing a mask.

Ideally, people would follow the rules, but we saw that there needs to be discipline. Enforcement will continue but we hope that people will cooperate. We always say that we are in this together.

Don’t you think that introducing such rules for bars, restaurants and weddings is not commercially viable and is a bit absurd? For example, how can we expect a groom and bride not to mingle with people they invite to their wedding?

The advice is clear. You can get the virus by touching something that someone would have sneezed on or, more possibly by standing close to someone who is infected.

Droplets can travel for up to two metres, hence the need for social distancing.

Everyone should avoid situations where they cannot practice social distancing. With social distancing, the virus goes away. But obviously we are social creatures and people find it hard to keep a distance. We know that we will not have zero cases, but the more people mingle in crowds, the higher the risk of transmission is.

This is why we are saying people should not be in groups of more than 10 people. We are not saying that we are going to lock down the country and tell people to stay indoors, like other countries did, but we are giving guidelines and enforcing them.

At the end of the day it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to protect our health and the health of those around us.

This is what solidarity means. A 25-year-old person is not likely to be seriously affected by COVID-19, but it could be a different story for their parents and vulnerable people. To spread the virus in society means that you are putting the health of those who are more vulnerable at risk.

The government can give advice, tell people to wash their hands and wear masks, but people have to do their part. In March, people were cooperating. We loosened up a bit, for this or that reason, but we need – without halting the economy, society and everyday life – to understand once again our personal responsibilities.

But don’t you feel that politicians, namely the Prime Minister, has downplayed the seriousness of the situation with his statements?

Many people have tried to do this, and you are also trying to pit me against the PM. We work as a team …

No, it’s not an issue of trying to pit you against the PM, but people, even civil society, has complained about conflicting messages.

…. This is not just an issue of Cabinet or PL government. Society as a whole needs to pull the same rope. There are many considerations; health, economic, social and educational.

On the other hand, this is something new. COVID-19 has been with us for less than a year and we do not know what will happen from one month to the next. This is not like influenza, which we experience every year and can understand.

In May and June there were scientists, including local ones, who said the numbers went down because COVID would slow down in summer. They said the measures were for nothing. Today we know this is not true … the numbers went down as a result of the measures, and because we were courageous. And this is why we are introducing some new measures, because we know that our behaviour determines the spread.

It seems that despite the spike, many of the cases are relatively mild, not a lot of people are in hospital and, fortunately, no more people have died as a result of COVID so far. Is there an explanation for

this?

The reason is that the worst hit by COVID are the vulnerable, mainly the elderly. What happened recently was that most of the people who were infected were young and healthy and did not need hospitalisation. This is why we took immediate steps to protect the elderly. Some might ask whether it is fair to tell these people to stay inside but this is where solidarity comes in. But if the virus were to spread among older people, we would have more hospital cases.

At the start of the pandemic, guidelines were put in place for people classified as vulnerable, who included people over 65, those suffering from chronic conditions and pregnant women. Are these rules

still in place and, if not, will they be brought back?

We have learnt about the importance of safeguarding our health and who is most at risk. Whereas in March the government told these people to stay at home, today everyone knows what the risks are and who is most at risk. We do not need to impose it anymore.

It is simple: do not go to places where you cannot maintain social distancing because you would be placing yourself at risk. It is clear.

The influenza season will soon be upon us. Are you worried about the fact that we will be dealing with influenza and COVID-19 simultaneously, especially in view of the recent numbers?

It is always of concern. We know what happens with influenza … it starts slowly in September/October, and the peak normally hits around December or January. Up to 15% of the population is normally affected.

There is a cure for it and, better yet, we have a vaccine. Whereas usually around 80,000 people get the vaccine, this year we have already ordered 200,000 doses. That is our target. If we can, we will go beyond that.

We are already working on the logistical aspect. Most of the influenza symptoms are similar to COVID-19.

This means that we will have a situation where someone might have flu symptoms and we would not know whether they have the common cold, influenza or COVID-19. And we cannot put anyone showing cold symptoms in quarantine.

We want to identify between cases in a scientific way. We are setting ourselves up to have a wide testing setup in place by October/November. The test will distinguish between a common cold, influenza and COVID. This is essential as otherwise the entire country would end up in quarantine. To do this, we will be using a modified swab test.

We will also have in 50 localities – practically in every city and town – vaccination centres. The vaccine will be given for free and will try to give it to as many people as possible. During the first three weeks, the vaccine will be given to the most vulnerable, including young children, people over 55 and individuals suffering from chronic diseases, as well as the front liners. It will then be spread to the general public.

When Professor Charmaine Gauci used to give her daily briefings, she would go into some detail about every single case. This does not happen anymore, and the daily bulletins always include a number of ‘sporadic’ cases. Does this mean that contact tracing is no longer taking place?

Yes, we’re still doing it.

In the beginning, the virus was largely limited to clusters. We are still seeing this to a certain extent. But when it starts spreading into the community, there are cases where we cannot trace where the transmission happened, and we call these cases sporadic.

These people are still being isolated, as are the people they would have come in contact with. We are still testing the people around them. Contact tracing is a very big operation, we have a large group of doctors who work mostly behind the scenes but do a very meticulous job.

Many parents are still not convinced about sending their children to school in September, especially young children who are more difficult to control with regard to social distancing and hygiene measures.

We have the Skolasajf experience, which was a success. We did not have a situation where we closed everything down after a week or two, even if some classes had to be stopped. Obviously, more students will be returning to school come September. We are working on the logistics of it. Next week, the Education Minister and I will take part in a meeting of EU ministers so that, on an EU-level, we can see what systems should be adopted.

We want to reopen the schools in a safe way. To go for a year without education would have a serious impact on the development of an entire generation and we must do our utmost to ensure that this does not happen.

Let’s talk economy. It seems that many people are once again choosing to stay in rather than go out to eat and shop. Will the government continue providing support to sustain jobs, even after October?

The entire world has been hit hard by COVID, not just health wise but also economically. We have seen that in countries where the economy recovered fast, public health took a bigger blow. We also know that you cannot have a strong healthcare system if you do not also have a strong economy.

We learnt that in these extraordinary circumstances, government intervention is essential.

We must keep helping in a sustainable way. This is why it is important for our economy to recover. So that the government will be able to help where needed. Our priority is to help all workers and families so that they can keep living a decent life.

Lastly, I’d like you to give me an honest assessment of the current situation. Over the past weeks and months, we heard now famous phrases such as ‘the waves are found in the sea,’ and ‘we managed to turn a tsunami into a stream’. What is the real situation and how confident are you that we can successfully get through this pandemic?

I am confident that we can manage it, but we are part of the world and are affected like the rest of the globe. We are not living in a bubble. No country is immune.

We have learnt a lot along the way and we are putting this knowledge into practice.

We have experts who have distinguished themselves already and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. I am confident that, just like we managed to bring the situation under control in the first few months, we can make another effort and have positive results once again.

Photo: Alenka Falzon