“Significant acceleration in coming weeks” of vaccination roll out “will give people an even greater confidence about months ahead”

The rollout of a second coronavirus vaccine offers “real hope for a better future and a brighter year ahead”, Wales’ health minister has said.

Yesterday saw the first doses of the Oxford / AstraZenca vaccine being administered to the highest priority groups across Wales.

The approval of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) comes just three weeks after the Pfizer BioNTech, was given the go ahead for use across the UK.

Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses.

This is a change from previous advice for both vaccines of a four week gap between doses, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people as possible in the top priority groups should sequentially be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority.”

Around 35,000 healthcare workers and those aged 80 and over across Wales have so far received their first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, with the rollout of the Oxford / AstraZenca set to increase this figure in the coming weeks.

Speaking yesterday Health Minister Vaughan said the rollout of the second vaccine provides “real hope for a better future and a brighter year ahead.”

“Last year was one of the most difficult years that any of us will have experienced. The pandemic has felt at times, that it would never end,” said Mr Gething.

“The approval of the first vaccine in early December and the second just five days ago, gives us a real hope for a better future and a brighter year ahead.

“We’ve been using the first vaccine, the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine, for just over three weeks now and have vaccinated more than 35,000 people.

“As we know it’s not the easiest vaccine to use because it has to be stored at ultra low temperatures and can’t be transported easily.

“We’ve been primarily vaccinating frontline health and care staff at the 14 mass vaccination centres set up by health boards around Wales. Care home residents and over 80s have also had the Pfizer jab over the last few weeks.

“However, the New Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is a real game changer because it can be stored in a fridge and is much easier to transport.

“The UK Government invested in the research and has bought 100 million doses for the UK and Wales will receive our population share.”

Around 22,000 doses of the vaccine have already arrived in Wales to be administered, with a further 20,000 due in the next seven days to start making progress in the 3.2 million population of Wales.

Further supplies of the vaccine will begin to arrive within the coming weeks.

Mr Gething also outlined how the rollout of the Oxford / AstraZenca vaccine would take place, with plans to work with pharmacists, dental practices and optometrists to provide vaccination clinics – with Wrexham.com understanding Plas Madoc’s leisure centre and a centre on the Glyndwr University campus are pencilled in for use.

He said: “Over the next couple of weeks, we will increase the number of mass vaccination centers to 22 and more than 60 general practice surgeries will offer the Oxford vaccine. Mobile units will also be set up throughout Wales.

“We’re training a range of health care workers to give the vaccine and we have plans to work with local pharmacies, dentists, and optometrists to provide vaccination clinics.

“We will continue to use the Pfizer vaccine at the mass vaccination centers across Wales and we’re working to the priority list agreed by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation. The rest of the UK is working to the same priority list.

“The immediate priority is to vaccinate frontline health and care staff care them reference and staff and people over the age of 80. Everyone in these groups will be invited to come to a clinic for an appointment.

“Health board and local authorities will be writing to everyone in Wales with more information about the vaccine in the coming days.”

However unlike his counterparts in the UK Government, Mr Gething would not be drawn on setting a date on when this vaccination process will be complete and when a return to some form of normality.

Instead the health minister said the Welsh Government will continue to publish weekly updates on how many people in Wales have been vaccinated as well as “key milestones” in the process, including when all care home residents had received the vaccine.

Mr Gething said: “I am going to be attending and chairing some of the weekly vaccination program board meetings here in Wales, I expect we’ll be able to provide a series of milestones.”

“So we’ll be able to indicate not just the in numbers of people overall but when we do reach, for example, getting them to all our care home residents or to deal with all of our paramedics so people can see we’re working through sectors.

“Each week I want to give a better indication of how we’re going through all those occupational groups.

“I think we’re going to reach at about the same time as every other UK nation, the completion of not just care home residence people, but in the first category that that we’re currently vaccinating.

“I appreciate everyone has questions but I think that people at the end of this will see that we have not been behind the pace and actually, the significant acceleration that we’ll see in the coming weeks will give people an even greater measure of confidence about the coming months ahead.”