Health minister says 70% of population to be vaccinated by end of September

Chris Fearne says 70% target is ‘realistic but ambitious’ goal

Health Minister Chris Fearne has told Euronews that Malta is looking to vaccinate 70% of the population by the end of September, with a closer objective being to vaccinate medical workers and all those over 80 years of age by March.

“The realistic but ambitious target is that, by the end of September, we will have vaccinated 70% of our population,” he told the news portal.

During the interview he argued that vaccination certificates would allow citizens from red zones to travel, even if their community is going through an outbreak. 

He added that a similar level of vaccinations would be needed across Europe for the single market to start recovering.

“This will enable us to open up our economies as a bloc and will enable tourism and trade to recover at a faster rate,” he said. 

According to Euronews, EU leaders will be convening on 21 January to discuss the way forward in tackling the pandemic, including the vaccination drive and possibly vaccination certificates.

The meeting comes days after the European Commission urged Member States to vaccinate 70% of adults by the end of the summer period.

Fearne had previously stated on Xtra that September will likely be the month when hed immunity would be reached, with all of the population to be inoculated at end of year.