Paula Vassallo, President of the European Association of Dental Public Health, has raised awareness on the importance of receiving the COVID jab in the global effort to reach herd immunity.

Taking to social media, Ms Vassallo, wrote:

“I got my COVID-19 vaccine because I believe in science. I got the vaccine for my parents, my family, my vulnerable friends, my colleagues, all healthcare workers and frontliners who have been working tirelessly since the start of the pandemic.”

Ms Vassallo, who has been President of the EADPH since September 2019, and who is currently a Director at Malta’s Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Directorate, went on to say:

“I got the vaccine for each and every one of us so we can achieve herd immunity”.

She also thanked Jorgen Souness, a registered nurse at Mater Dei Hospital, for administering the jab.

Malta is currently leading EU Member States in terms of vaccination roll out as a proportion of the population. With the arrival of the third vaccine, by AstraZeneca/Oxford, authorities hope to bring forward the programme by two weeks.

By March, Malta hopes to vaccinate all vulnerable people, frontline workers and the elderly.