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Caerphilly County Borough Council’s headquarters in Tredomen could be used as a mass vaccination centre again in the future.

The coronavirus vaccination centre, which was set up at Ty Penallta last month, closed down on Friday, January 29.

It was replaced by a new, larger mass vaccination centre, which opened at Newbridge Leisure Centre on Saturday, January 30.

A council spokesperson told Caerphilly Observer that while Ty Penallta had closed as a vaccination centre, it could reopen if needed.

As of 10pm on Monday, February 1, 416,306 people in Wales had received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with 841 people having received two doses.

Judith Paget, chief executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said the Newbridge vaccination centre will “support our programme to vaccinate as many people as quickly and safely as possible”.

The different vaccines

The UK Government has procured vaccines on behalf of the four nations and around 100m of these are of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, with Wales receiving its allocation based on population over the next weeks and months. Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses.

At the beginning of December, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first to receive MHRA approval in the UK.

Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at normal vaccine fridge temperatures. This means it will have few storage and transportation issues, making it much easier to use in community settings such as care homes and primary care settings like GP surgeries.

People are asked not to phone their GP, pharmacy or hospital asking when they will get a vaccine. When someone is in one of the groups eligible for the vaccine, they will be invited to attend a dedicated clinic which will have been set up to ensure patient safety and that of the healthcare professionals.