Just yesterday, it was announced that Malta has the fourth-highest booster rate among all European Union members.

According to the European Centre Disease Control, data shows that Austria, Denmark and Ireland are first, second and third, just slightly ahead of Malta in terms of their COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

Health minister Chris Fearne also said that Malta’s high booster vaccination rate goes hand in hand with having, according to other sources, the lowest hospitalisation rate in Europe. He used the information to further emphasise that the vaccine booster is working and was in fact, reducing cases of hospitalisation.

The country with the lowest rate of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in the world is Japan, with a mere 18 virus patients out of a million receiving care in hospital. On the other hand, Bulgaria currently stands as the country with the most COVID-19 induced hospitalisations. As of 2 January, just under 600 patients out of a million were being cared for in hospital.

What’s more, just 5.56% of Bulgaria’s population has received its booster shot.