People with a learning disability to be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccine

People with a learning disability will be prioritised for coronavirus vaccines, Wales’ Health Minister has confirmed.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething made the announcement at Welsh Government’s coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday (February 24).

It comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has been advising Welsh Government on its vaccine rollout, updated its guidance on priority groups.

In a statement, Mr Gething said: “The JCVI has set out that people with a severe/profound learning disability and individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment, should be invited for vaccination as part of priority group 6.”

He said there are “challenges with identifying individuals within these groups” and added: “We are working hard to make sure that no one is left behind.  

“Today we have published guidance on identifying eligible individuals in these groups and on how to support them to take up their vaccine offers.”

The JCVI has also said unpaid carers should be included in priority group 6.

Earlier this month, Caerphilly Observer spoke to the manager of an adult care home in Caerphilly County Borough, who felt they were being “discriminated against” as they were yet to be offered vaccinations.

South Wales East Senedd Member Delyth Jewell, who has been pressing Welsh Government to prioritise people with a learning disability for vaccination in recent weeks, welcomed the announcement.

Ms Jewell said: “This will bring huge relief for the people I’ve been speaking with over the past few weeks who have been worried sick about their loved ones.”

However, the Plaid Cymru MS criticised Welsh Government for not making the announcement sooner. She said: “Anxiety could have been alleviated weeks ago, had the Welsh Government changed the policy at the point when the evidence first became clear that this group was extremely clinically vulnerable, being between six and 30 times more likely to die from Covid-19.

“They wasted weeks in seeking to unnecessarily change the advice before changing the policy. However justice has finally been secured with a hugely significant U-turn that has the potential to save many lives.”

Ms Jewell added: “Given that priority group 6 is very large, It’s now essential that the Welsh Government undertakes work to decide on prioritisation within this group, so that the rollout proceeds in a way that the evidence suggests will save most lives.”

Shadow Health Minister Angela Burns, of the Welsh Conservatives, said Welsh Government “must deliver at speed its policy on offering prioritised vaccinations to people with learning difficulties, who have seen vastly disproportionate fatality rates with Covid”.