At least 70% of the Maltese population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first EU country to achieve collective immunity. This was announced on Monday by the Minister of Health Chris Ferne.
According to Ferne, quoted by Reuters, one person is vaccinated in the country every 5 seconds — and at the moment 42% of the adult population has already received two doses of the vaccine.
Currently, vaccination is available to all residents of Malta over the age of 16. Ferne said that the vaccination of children aged 12 years and older will begin after the European health authorities give permission for this.
He also announced that from July 1, the mandatory wearing of masks in the open air for vaccinated people will be canceled, provided that the incidence of the virus remains at a low level.
According to the Profile magazine, 30.5 thousand cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Malta since the beginning of the pandemic. 417 people died.
