Updated 12.54pm 

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci received a COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday morning, in a procedure that was live-streamed by the Health Ministry on social media. 

The 90-second clip, which was published to the ministry’s Facebook site with no explanation or advanced notice, showed a smiling Gauci receive her first vaccine dose in her left arm. 

Video of the procedure ended abruptly, with no message from the public health chief. 

'Long-awaited moment'

Gauci later told Times of Malta that getting vaccinated was a "long-awaited moment".

"Having seen the effects of this virus on the people who got infected, their families and the overall impact locally and globally, it sure is a moment to be grateful to everyone who worked together on making these vaccines possible," she said.

"I want to encourage everyone to accept the invitation to get vaccinated with this vaccine which is safe and effective,  so we can have a population which is protected."

Vaccinations are currently being administered to senior citizens living in care homes and over 85s who live in the community, with healthcare frontliners having been inoculated first. 

Authorities are now vaccinating doctors who do not work with COVID-19 patients and Gauci, who graduated as a medical doctor in 1991, falls in this category.  

Gauci is the second public official to have their vaccination live-streamed, after president George Vella. 

Vella, 78 and a doctor by profession, received his first COVID-19 vaccine on January 5 and told people at home not to believe scaremongering about the vaccine. 

“We would be stupid to refuse the one thing that can save us, based on things that are not true,” he said.