The health authorities are considering extending the deadline for the swine flu vaccines, being administered free at health centres, because of a lower-than-expected take-up, The Times has learnt.

By Thursday evening, just over 73,800 people had been inoculated since the first batch of vaccines arrived in December, a spokesman for the Community Care Parliamentary Secretariat said. The government has a stock of some 200,000.

People had nine days, from January 28 until today, to go to any health centre for their free swine flu vaccine.

But the actual take-up was much lower than expected and the authorities will today decide on whether the deadline should be extended.

The vaccination service in the health centres was only offered for nine days because several services had to be put on hold, the spokesman said.

The first batch of jabs arrived in Malta at the end of December and was used to vaccinate health care workers, pregnant women and people suffering from chronic diseases.

The second batch arrived last week and, on Thursday, the government opened vaccination to the rest of the population.