Early evidence points to “greater vaccine hesitancy” amongst younger age groups in social care or one to one settings

Wales’ first minister has spoken of plans across the UK to reach out to those who are hesitant about receiving a vaccine – with initial information finding that those aged 80 and over are more likely to come forward.

So far almost 113,000 vaccines have been administered across Wales, with 16,000 first doses carried out in Wales.

However there have been concerns of vaccine doses being wasted by people not turning up to appointments.

In north Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has said it has “not experienced a significant problem with people failing to attend their vaccination appointments” and that there is “minimal wastage” due to a stand-by list for priority groups.

Over the past two days at the Mass Vaccination Centre at Ysbyty Enfys Bangor, 16 out of 774 people (2%) failed to turn up for their vaccination appointment.

Speaking to media across North Wales yesterday, First Minister Mark Drakeford said during a meeting between the four nations it had been agreed they would “pool information” together to see if there are any patterns in age groups who are not attending appointments.

Currently those over the 80, care home residents and health and social care staff are the first groups being offered appointments to be vaccinated.

Mr Drakeford added that so far those who are more “hesitant” to come forward for appointments are under the age of 80.

He said: “The very tentative evidence that was being reported yesterday was that there is an age profile to this, people over 80 are very unlikely not to come forward for vaccination.

“Now there maybe people who suddenly can’t keep an appointment, but it’s not that they’re not choosing to come forward.

With the vaccinations currently being given out to residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, and all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers he added, “The people who are at the moment more hesitant about taking up a vaccine are the people lower down the age range and those can be people who are working in social care, or in other contexts where they are doing personal face to face work with people.

“It can be people who are shielding because although bulk of people are shielding up at the older age range, some people who have underlying health conditions can be much younger than that.

“The very first and tentative evidence seems to be that younger down the age range, there is greater vaccine hesitancy as it’s called.

“We all agreed yesterday that we would pool information and if there is a pattern that we would do more together to try and make sure that those groups get all the information they need to make a an informed choice.”

Mr Drakeford continued: “In the end, it is a choice, isn’t it? What we are guaranteeing is an offer of vaccination to everybody. People then have the right to decide whether to take up that offer,

“I wouldn’t want to see an offer draconian approach in which somebody who can’t keep a first appointment is put straight to the back of the queue. I think we would want to find out whether there was if there was any reason why that person wasn’t able to keep the appointment, whether there is a more convenient appointment.

“If you’re aged over 90 for example your ability to get yourself to wear to a vaccination centre, for example, may not be great

“I would want to make sure that we are doing it in a sensible way. But you wouldn’t want to go on making infinite offers to people who are clearly decided for themselves that vaccination is not an offer they’re going to take up

“We’re going to learn a lot more about this in the next couple of weeks in the speed of which the system is ramping up.”