There have been no reported side effects after taking the COVID-19 vaccine in Malta, health authorities have confirmed.

Malta started rolling out its first vaccine on 27th December with a Mater Dei nurse receiving the first jab.

Since then, over 1,000 jabs have been administered with no one registering any side effects, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne confirmed at a press conference today.

“So far we haven’t had any reports of the side effects. By the end of the week we’ll have inoculated 4,000 people but so we’ve had no reports,” Fearne said.

While Malta has had a successful spell distributing the vaccine so far, reports emerged of a Portuguese health care worker who passed away two days after receiving the coronavirus jab.

Moreover, social media users shared posts about the alleged negative health effects from the Pfizer-COVID-19 vaccine, including that six people died during late-stage trials.

According to Reuters, these claims are partly false after it was revealed that only two of the patients were given the vaccine.

The other four were given a safe placebo solution of salt and water.

In addition, no causal relationship was established between the vaccine and the two deaths, which occurred in line with the normal death rate for the general population.

Earlier today, the EU Medicines Authority approved the Moderna vaccine, meaning member states will, including Malta, receive both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. The country is expected to have 770,000 vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna by the end of the year.

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