Vaccine supply issue “should not impact” vaccination plans

Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said people who have received a coronavirus vaccination appointment will not be affected by a reported reduction in vaccine supplies.

In a statement, Mr Gething said the UK Government has “provided assurances” that the dip in supply “should not impact” on plans to have offered everyone in the first nine priority groups a vaccine by the middle of April, and everyone else by the end of July.

He said: “We have been informed by the UK Government that some of the supply we had been expecting to arrive in the UK before mid-April will now be delivered up to four weeks later than originally planned.”

He added: “However, as we have every step of the way, we are working through exactly what the reduced forecast means for our programme in Wales. We will continue discussions with the UK Government with a focus on ensuring we meet the milestones in our national strategy.

“Significant supplies of vaccine were delivered to vaccination centres and GP practices last week and additional supplies are being delivered this week – so there will be no impact on those who have received their appointment for vaccination.”

He said Wales’ vaccination programme “has been remarkable over the last few months” and added: “I have been clear throughout that supply is the limiting factor in our programme.  If we had more supply, we could vaccinate more quickly.”

Mr Gething said vaccination teams had been vaccinating “around the rate of 1% of the population a day” in recent days.

Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Health Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth, called for “maximum transparency” and said: “Suggestions of supply disruptions underlines the need for a full and open flow of information about the extent of any delay and the reasons behind it.”

An update to Welsh Government’s vaccine strategy will be published next week, Mr Gething confirmed.

Who has been vaccinated so far?

As of Wednesday, March 17, 1,180,155 people in Wales had received their first dose, according to figures published by Public Health Wales, with a further 304,411 people having received both doses.

So far, 94.6% of people aged 80 and above have received a first vaccine dose, while 95.2% of people aged 75 to 79 have been given their first dose.

Of those aged 70 to 74, 94.6% have had their first dose.

In total, 91.6% of people aged 65 to 69 have received their first dose, while 65.3% of people aged 60 to 64, 40% of people aged 55 to 59 and 33.8% of people aged 50 to 54 have been given their first vaccination.

Meanwhile, 85.9% of care home workers, 95.8% of care home residents and 89.9% of people aged between 16 and 69, who are classed as extremely clinically vulnerable, have had their first vaccine, while 58.7% of people aged 16-64 in a clinical risk group have had their first jab.

Across Wales, 141,842 healthcare workers have had their first coronavirus vaccine dose – which equates to 89.3%.