Malta has achieved herd immunity after an impressive COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and Superintendent Charmaine Gauci have announced.

Speaking in a press conference, Fearne said that the nation will achieve herd immunity, noting how a vaccination campaign has been helped dropped the number of people that are hospitalised with COVID-19. There are just six people in Mater Dei, at the moment.

According to the latest figures, 474,475 doses have been administered – 302,955 of which are first doses, while 180,243 are fully vaccinated. For herd immunity to be reached, 70% of the adult population would need to have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The latest figures indicate that we have surpassed that threshold.

According to the latest available statistics compiled by the National Statistics Office, there were 514,564 people living in Malta at the end of December 2019. Of these, 441,186 are aged 16 and over and are therefore eligible to receive the vaccine.

Based on these figures, over 68% of the eligible population has received one dose of the vaccine. However, it does not take into account the increase in population since then. Sources have suggested Malta has passed 70%.

Malta has begun removing restriction measures as cases continue to drop in light of the country’s impressive vaccination campaign. However, questions remain surrounding the government’s policy surrounding mass events, parties, DJs, and mask-wearing.