Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said that the government has a plan for when the Omicron variant arrives in the island.

“During the summer and autumn, Malta managed to control the spread of the virus because of the vaccine against the Delta variant as well as the original virus; for Omicron, we have the booster,” Fearne said on the Kalamita programme on ONE TV on Wednesday.

The booster jab will make a difference in the number of cases within the community as well as in hospitals, he said.

Fearne added that the booster will give individuals protection against the virus for months as well as possibly a year. The booster will protect people from all the variants, including the highly transmissible Omicron, he said.

Fearne said that in a few days they will announce the opening of booster jabs for those under the age of 35.

He rebutted rumours of the resignation of the Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci, confirming that she will still fulfil her roles and discussions of the pandemic.

Fearne reminded the public that there cannot be more than four households gathering in a personal home, as well as the quarantine period for those who are not positive with the virus but have had contact with a positive individual is reduced to seven days rather than 14.

He said that the majority of cases being found have mild or no symptoms at all, usually discovered after individuals take a swab test before travel. Fearne highlighted the importance of the booster which will reduce the spread of the virus.

Fearne’s TV interview came after Malta reported a record 582 cases in a single day, with two people also dying while positive for the virus.