First Minister reiterates vaccination comments – while BMA say “stop sitting on supplies and get on with it”

A doctor’s leader has called on the Welsh Government to “rethink its vaccination strategy” after it was confirmed that thousands of coronavirus vaccines being held back in Wales.

Over 151,000 vaccines have now been administered across Wales, but there have been concerns that some of the doses made available to the Welsh Government are not being administered.

Last week Wrexham.com asked the first minister why Wales has been supplied with 174,000 vaccine doses that have not yet been used, and specifically asked if there was throttling taking place and where the issues were to get the vaccines out.

Mr Drakeford confirmed that whilst the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is being used “as we get it”, doses of the Pfizer vaccine “have to last until February so we have to provide it week on week”.

He doubled down on those comments earlier today by stating that Wales is not using all its available Pfizer vaccines because he does not want to leave those administering immunisations “standing around with nothing to do” for weeks.

Reiterating his comments made last week, he told BBC Radio 4: “The Pfizer vaccine we have has to last us until the beginning of February.

“We won’t get another delivery of that until the very end of January or probably in the beginning of February.

“Therefore, we have to use that over that six week stretch. There will be no point, and certainly it will be logistically very damaging, to try and use all of that in the first week and then to have all our vaccinators standing around with nothing to do for another month.

“The system we would have would not be in a position to then go on doing the job we need to do over the weeks ahead.

“The sensible thing to do is to use the vaccine you’ve got over the period that you’ve got it for so that your system can absorb it, it can go on working and you don’t have people standing around with nothing to do.”

However the decision to hold back some of the doses of the Pfizer vaccine has been described as deeply concerning by Dr David Bailey, chair of the BMA in Wales, who has called on the Welsh Government to rethink its strategy.

Dr Bailey said: “For the First Minister to say that there is ‘no point’ in using all the supplies in a week to ensure vaccinators aren’t standing around with nothing to do is truly bewildering.

“Frontline staff are risking their lives to help others – the priority must be to get the second dose administered to those who have received the first, and to accelerate first doses for all remaining vaccinations to ensure maximum protection for staff and patients.

“We are asking Welsh Government to stop sitting on supplies and get on with it.”

The first minister’s comments have also been condemned by opposition parties, with Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS describing them as “very frustrating”.

He said: ““Wales appears now to be dramatically behind England in terms of vaccine rollout, so to see the First Minister being relaxed about the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out here is very, very frustrating.

“The most recent data from both NHS England and Public Health Wales demonstrates that Wales is lagging way behind. Figures from January 17 show that more than 3.7 million doses have been administered in England – almost half a million of which being second dose. In Wales figures from 16 January show 126,504 vaccines administered, including only 129 second doses.

“Comparing population sizes, if Wales was vaccinating at the same rate we’d have hit around 190,000. Comparing Wales and England isn’t always useful – for various reasons, we’re ahead on some things, and England ahead on others – it’s swings and roundabouts. But where it’s a four-nations programme, we need to know it’s a level playing field.

“Welsh Government must give an update on vaccines made available for Wales – of each type – plus numbers vaccinated in Wales compared to England, using the different types of vaccine, and on the projected supply of vaccines in the weeks to come. Why are we rationing here?”

Welsh Conservative health spokesman, Andrew RT Davies, claimed it was proof that the roll out in Wales was not working.

He said: “Whether intended or not, this outburst of honesty from the First Minister tells the Welsh people all they need to know.

“The Welsh Labour Government is failing to deliver its vaccine programme.

“His shocking doubling-down on his decision to delay deployment of Pfizer vaccine supplies is dangerous, and makes no clinical sense whatsoever.

“We need to get these vaccinations into people’s arms ASAP. Lives and livelihoods across Wales are at stake.”