A COVID-19 vaccine reserve list is in place and will be called upon in the case that someone misses their vaccine appointment.

The reserve list will consist of eligible candidates for the vaccine cohort. A helpline has also been set up should someone have to cancel their vaccine appointment. 

“Those who will be eligible for the vaccine will receive a letter at home with a date for their appointment,” Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said at a press conference earlier today. 

“They’ll also have a helpline so that, in case they can’t make their appointment, whether they’re sick or unwell, they can call us,” she said.

If this is the case, health authorities will look to the reserve list for other vaccine candidates. 

Malta is expected to receive 550,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, enough to vaccine 250,000 people with two shots each, at the beginning of next year.

While the vaccine has proven to be over 90% effective, it requires a storage temperature of -70°C and needs to defrost before it can be injected. 

The dose will be made available at government entities across Malta, according to Gauci.

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