Residents and staff at Id-Dar tal-Providenza began receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine this morning.

In a short statement, the management said: “Our thanks go to the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA) for the collaboration throughout.”

Till yesterday, 51,641 doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered, of which 16,265 are second doses.

Malta is currently two weeks ahead of schedule in the its vaccination programme as the vulnerable start receiving letters of appointment to get the jab.

The country currently has three vaccines available for use: the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A fourth vaccine – the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine – is expected to be approved for use by European medical authorities in March.