The vast majority of doctors in government hospitals have followed the advice of the health authorities and taken the swine flu vaccine.

So far, 85 per cent of doctors working for the national health service have taken the jab, strengthening the authorities' message that the vaccine is safe. Apart from the 564 state doctors, a further 971 working in the private sector also got inoculated, the government said.

Since the vaccination of the public started, on January 2, over 45,500 healthcare workers, pregnant women and chronic patients were jabbed. These included 1,301 nurses and 4,760 others who work in health care, 568 mothers-to-be and 37,505 chronic patients. The first batch of 100,000 vaccine doses arrived in Malta at the end of December.

The health authorities are insisting the swine flu vaccine is safe and are urging everyone to take the jab against the virus that has so far killed four people in Malta.

Despite this reassurance, people remain concerned about possible side-effects of the vaccine.

The health authorities yesterday again urged people to get inoculated. People who fall within the vulnerable group category (pregnant women and chronic patients) can take the jab at their local health centre between 3 and 7 p.m. and at the Gozo Hospital between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.