Local vaccination centre moves to one day a week opening due to vaccine supply issue

The local vaccination centre on the at Wrexham Glyndwr University campus is now operating at just one day a week due to limited vaccine supply.

A week ago we asked the health minister and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board about plans we had heard locally to temporarily close or restrict operation at the Catrin Finch vaccination centre due to vaccine shortages, and the health board telling us at the time it was not confirmed as closing.

Yesterday we re-asked about the local situation, and if things had progressed since last week what has changed and when decisions were made.

We also queried if the information we had been passed that the Deeside Mass Vaccination Centre had been closed over the weekend were accurate.

Today Gill Harris, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director Nursing And Midwifery, said: “The Local Vaccination Centre in Wrexham is open one day this week and next week due to the limited amount of vaccine available to us. After that it will be open for second vaccines, four days a week.”

“The Mass Vaccination Centre in Deeside was closed over the weekend, again linked to vaccine supply. This week it will open six days a week, which we intend to continue for the next three weeks.”

Last week we asked Health Minister Vaughan Gething on the topic, and he said: “Each Health Board will set out for its local population and local media how they’re going to manage a slight dip in vaccination supply that we’re expecting for the next two weeks.

“That may mean that some centers are closed, that may mean that we’re delivering more through local health care.

“Each Health Board will need to manage that in accordance with its local population where it still is in terms of its supply , while still managing the second doses that are carrying on with.”

“We expect when we get back into March we’re going to see a return to increased levels of vaccination supply available to us. That will mean we will be able to stand up all of those arrangements, as well, they’ve been making greater use of local pharmacy as well, because we’ve yet to maximise our ability and our capacity to to deliver vaccinations across Wales.”

“So we can go even faster if we have the supply in place and if we have the certainty of the future supply, that’s why the next two weeks are not something that I think people should be overly concerned about, you’ll still see tens of thousands of people vaccinated each week, but will then return to an even more significant upswing after that.

“Again, that’s why we can have some confidence, I think that we’ll get to everyone in groups one to nine by the end of April, if supply lines remain as we expect.”

Yesterday Wrexham.com reported that 136 vaccine doses had been administered on Sunday due to the vaccine shortage.

This has increased to more than 700, however the figure is still significantly down on the amount of vaccines being issued throughout January and at the start of this month.