Chris Fearne

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne has announced that Malta is now the fastest European country to inoculate its population against COVID-19.

Minister Fearne made the announcement on Wednesday evening via social media, where he shared a graph showing the “cumulative COVID-19 vaccination doses administered per 100 people,” showing Malta leading the pack in Europe, followed by Denmark, Lithuania, Spain, Slovenia and Italy.

https://www.facebook.com/chrisfearne/photos/a.216031108464522/3832290143505249/?type=3

The graph highlights that “this is counted as a single dose and may not equal the total number of people vaccinated, depending on the specific dose regime (e.g. people receive multiple doses”).

Malta’s COVID vaccination timeline:

First Group (to be vaccinated in January)

  • Healthcare workers and long-term care facility workers (public and private sector)
  • Persons living in long-term care facilities – elderly and mental health
  • Persons aged 85 and over.

Second Group

  • All other frontliners;
  • Persons 80-85 years of age.

Third Group

  • Persons with chronic illness whose state of health makes them particularly at risk- elevated risk of severe disease or death;
  • Persons 70-80 years of age;
  • Staff at schools and child-care centers.

Fourth Group

  • Persons over 55 years of age
  • Rest of population

The timing of the rollout will depend on the speed of production of the vaccine.

Related

More than 60% of people in Malta live in ‘under-occupied’ homes

June 23, 2026
by Kevin Schembri Orland

Malta's percentage is far higher than the EU average of 33.4%

Sea cleaning efforts will intensify around eastern Malta – Aquaculture Federation CEO on slime prevention

June 23, 2026
by Kevin Schembri Orland

Federation wants to ensure that its fish farm activity creates as minimal an inconvenience as possible, Charlon Gouder says.

Banks expect technology-driven risks to play an increasingly important role, survey finds

June 23, 2026
by Kevin Schembri Orland

The Central Bank of Malta conducted its first edition of its Systemic Risk Perceptions Survey among 11 domestic banks