It was a splendid moment, one that showed that the country can be apolitical if it wants to.

We’re referring to the time when Health Minister Chris Fearne and his Opposition counterpart Stephen Spiteri turned up together to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

Fearne did the right thing to invite Spiteri, and Spiteri did the right thing to accept the invitation.

Before being politicians on opposite sides of the fence, both are doctors, well-loved in their community. By taking the jab, they gave the perfect example to the people, of all political colours. The vaccination is important in the fight against Covid-19, and the more people are inoculated, the better the chances that this virus could be contained. Maybe it can never be eliminated, but at least its power and contagion could be limited.

The few minutes it took for them to be vaccinated also exposed their human side. People tend to think that politicians are too ingrained in their antagonism and, let’s face it, many of them like it this way. The way politicians are at each other’s throats at every opportunity, and especially when the cameras are rolling, does at times unnecessarily raise tension.

But there is another side that it not often seen. Outside of the political arena, many politicians of different views are quite chummy with each other. They may not be friends – although the word “friend” has in recent years taken on a weaker meaning because of the social media – but they do share their personal experiences with each other, and often help each other out in matters not pertaining to politics.

The banter the two exchanged while they were receiving the jab brought smiles on all those who were watching the live feed, or watched the footage later. And by going together they sent a splendid message to the rest of the population.

There’s more to it than this.

Being on the frontline, Fearne could have taken advantage of his position, and be among the first to take the jab. But he did not, and he must be given credit for this. An Italian politician who jumped the queue when Italy started to roll out the vaccinations was heavily criticised. If Fearne had done the same thing in Malta, we can only wonder how he would have been the target of so much venom, especially by those who have nothing better to do than share their thoughts hourly on the social media.

This takes us to Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci, who was viciously attacked in a Sunday newspaper article for not being among the first to take the jab. If she had been among the first to take it, probably the same people who lambasted her for not taking it would have come down on her for taking advantage of her position.

The funny – or tragic – side to this is that when she took the jab a week after the article appeared, the same people who supported the columnist who wrote that article criticised the media for reporting the event. Is this news, they asked? So when Gauci did not take the jab she is crucified, and when she does it’s not news.

The mind boggles.