Around 6,500 health board workers have been vaccinated

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More than half of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board’s workforce has received a coronavirus vaccine.

According to figures disclosed by the health board, 6,500 workers have received the jab. According to the organisation’s 2019/20 accounts, it employs a total of 11,476 staff.

The vaccinated staff join more than 150,000 people across Wales to been given their first dose.

Frontline health and care workers, as well as people over the age of 80, are part of the second priority group for vaccinations.

Welsh Government expects everyone in the second priority group to have been given their first vaccine dose by the middle of February.

Caerphilly Observer also asked ABUHB if members of its executive team had received vaccinations, following an article published by WalesOnline, which says Swansea Bay Health Board refused to deny its top managers had been vaccinated.

In response, a ABUHB spokeswoman said some members of its executive team “could” have received the vaccine.

The spokeswoman said: “In accordance with JCVI guidance, a very small number of our executive team could have been vaccinated – which is wholly appropriate given their roles bring them in contact with patients and members of the public.”

She added: “We are not vaccinating our executive directors before any other priority group and the vaccine is always given based on eligibility, not seniority.

“For reasons of confidentiality, we are unable to confirm whether any individual staff member has received the Covid-19 vaccine or not.”

This article was amended to include the total number of staff employed by the health board.