The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) had issued directives that had disrupted the beginning of the flu vaccinations.

This action was reportedly taken due to a directive that had been issued to all primary healthcare nurses, as the union pressed the government for extra leave in lieu of public holidays falling on weekends and meal allowances. Reportedly, very few nurses were available to administer the vaccine on Sunday as a result. Regardless of the action, Health Minister Chris Fearne said that just under 1,000 received the flu vaccine on Sunday, the first day it was made available.

This union’s action was irresponsible.

The Covid-19 pandemic numbers are on the rise. The union has, during the pandemic, for the most part been right in its warnings to government to better handle the situation. As an example, at the beginning of the pandemic, the union pushed for better PPE gear for nurses.

Covid-19 and the flu have very similar symptoms. Thus the government has pushed to bring in double the number of influenza vaccines this year (200,000) than normal, in the hopes of vaccinating as many people as possible. While the flu vaccine isn’t a guarantee that a person will not get the flu, it does reduce the chances and the strength of the symptoms. The more people taking the vaccine, the easier it would be on the healthcare system as less people would require care for more severe cases of the flu, and there would be less Covid-19 scares due to less people having the flu.

Aside from this, the flu does kill people yearly. So the union’s action went against the union’s main calls to better handle the Covid-19 pandemic and bring the situation under control.

The flu vaccine is currently freely available to those aged over 55, under five, as well as those with chronic illnesses.  These groups include the more vulnerable. The nursing union should not have been playing around on this issue. It has a right to issue directives yes, but perhaps it would have been more prudent to do so in other areas.

Thankfully the situation came to a close on Monday, and Health Minister Chris Fearne said, after holding talks with the union, that the MUMN withdrew the directives. The MUMN said that their demands were met.

This is not to say that all anger about the Covid situation should be directed at the union. Nurses have done a spectacular job during the pandemic, but this directive was a major misstep. At the same time, the government must also be criticised. It is not the nursing union’s fault that Covid-19 numbers are so high. The government has failed to bring the situation under control, and this can partly be placed on the shoulders of Prime Minister Robert Abela, due to his statements and attitude towards the end of the first wave.

The government needs to do a lot more on this issue, and Abela’s treatment of the virus had given off the wrong message. It did not help when he decided to go abroad during the pandemic, making it seem as though everything was normal and looked like he was abandoning his country.

The rest of the blame lies with those people who are being stubborn and selfish, who are not thinking of others, meeting up in large groups and not observing the guidelines.

People must be cautious.