Health Minister Chris Fearne and shadow minister Stephen Spiteri received the COVID-19 vaccine at the Paola Health Centre on Tuesday.

Watch the proceedings live in the video below.

After taking the vaccine, Fearne said science had come up with a vaccine against COVID-19 in less than a year.

Malta, he said, is following the vaccine according to the timetable that had been set and, as from Wednesday, shots will start to be given to staff and pharmacists in the community.

Invites to the over 80s are also being sent this week and the programme to have all the vulnerable in Malta vaccinated by May was moving according to plan. 

Spiteri said the vaccination programme is a very important tool to win over the pandemic.

However, it will be useless if there is not a strong uptake.

Both Fearne and Spiteri appealed to the public to trust science rather than superstition and to remain prudent and take the precautions, even if they have been vaccinated.

"Let’s win over COVID with science," Fearne said.

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 both Fearne and Spiteri fall in this category. 

The live streaming of them taking the vaccine follows that of Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci on Saturday morning. She encouraged everyone to accept the invitation to get vaccinated saying the jab "is safe and effective" and can protect a population.

President George Vella's vaccination was also streamed live on January 5. A doctor by profession, 78-year-old Vella told people not to believe scaremongering about the vaccine.