Italy reached the target of fully vaccinating 80 per cent of the population over the age of 12 against Covid-19, according to official data, achieving a goal Rome had set as a safety cut-off point, government data showed.

A government website showed 43,229,551 people over 12, out of a total population of around 60 million, had completed their vaccination cycle as of Oct 10.

The 80pc target was set by special commissioner for the Covid emergency, Army General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, in March and was hit late on Oct 9.

“That's a critical level above which experts say — and the trend we've been recording for weeks confirms this — that the risk of hospitalisation is drastically reduced”, the commissioner's office said.