The national helpline during the COVID-19 pandemic : a pillar of support for the public

Abstract

Soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta in March 2020, the number of calls from the public escalated so much that a helpline service, Helpline 111, was set at a private call centre. Calls from the public were answered by a team of trained agents, supported onsite by officials from the Public Health Response Team. The reasons for the calls varied and guidelines for answering the calls were continuously updated in line with the current standards and mitigation measures.peer-reviewe