VALLETTA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people thronged the streets around the Maltese capital's first mobile vaccination clinic, which was opened for walk-ins on Monday as part of the country's efforts to vaccinate at least 85 percent of its adult population.
A mobile dental clinic, owned by the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Malta, was turned into a vaccination truck and it began to offer COVID-19 jabs to all those who had not yet been vaccinated because they had not received an appointment or were reluctant.
Malta's Health Minister Chris Fearne, currently in self-isolation after coming into contact with a COVID-19-positive case, took to Twitter to laud the "Strong turnout at the COVID-19 vaccination walk-in clinic at Mosta Technopark, as 85 percent of adults in Malta have had at least the first jab (81 percent fully vaccinated). Keep jabbing!"
Malta is also vaccinating young people aged between 12 and 15 based on the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) approval.
Many of those in the queue on Monday were foreign nationals living in Malta, while others were there because they had changed their mind about the jab. The vaccination center at the University of Malta is also offering the vaccine to those without an appointment.
The appointment-free mobile clinic will visit the southeastern city of Zejtun on Wednesday and St Julian in the center of Malta on Friday. People are requested to show proof of residence, such as a utility bill, in order to get the jab.
Valerie Sollers, a German national living in Malta, told Xinhua that she had not received an appointment to get vaccinated and had been eagerly waiting for the time when everyone is offered the jab.
"I've been waiting for this vaccine for so long. I'd like to visit my family in Germany this summer, so I came at the first available opportunity to get my first dose. In two weeks, I'll get my second and then I can travel two weeks after that. So yes, it's a relief," she told Xinhua.
She said she thought she was one of the first to arrive when she called a taxi at seven o'clock in the morning but was in for a surprise when she found a long queue there. People started to converge on the mobile vaccination clinic as early as half past five in the morning. "It's quite impressive," she commented.
Steffi Schomer from the Netherlands was looking forward to receiving her first dose of the vaccine although she was disappointed that she had to "spend hours in the scorching sun" first.
"It should have been better organized," she said. "The sun in Malta is quite strong and standing in this heat for so long is tiring. I've seen people faint."
Jeremy Vassallo, a 24-year-old Maltese, was not able to go for his vaccine on the date and time he was given so he had to wait for the walk-in clinic to be able to get his shot.
His friend, Noella Zammit, was initially adamant on not taking the vaccine, arguing that all the hype and stress surrounding the vaccination had scared her, but since then she has changed her mind.
"After I saw how many people were dying from COVID-19 and since it is the only way to travel, I've decided to take the jab. It cannot harm me I guess," she said jokingly. Enditem
