Covid jab Welsh roll-out will be 'as quickly as is safe to do'

Health minister Vaughan Gething said that Wales’s healthcare workforce are coming 'together as one' to ensure Wales’ Covid-19 vaccination programme rolls out as quickly as is safe to do.

The first pharmacy vaccination with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine was delivered yesterday, Friday January 15, in Llanbedrog, Gwynedd, which is in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area.

Mr Gething said:

“We are in the early stages of delivering the largest vaccination programme Wales has ever seen and the sheer scale of what has been achieved so far, and continues to happen, should not be underestimated.

“The roll-out of these vaccines to everyone eligible adult in Wales as quickly as if safe to do so is truly an example, once again, of our inspiring healthcare workforce coming together as one.

“A mix of vaccination sites and centres have been selected to ensure everyone across the country has equal access to a vaccination.

"People can be expected to be asked to attend either a mass or community centre, hospital, GP practice, pharmacy or mobile unit.

“Just because there isn’t a type of service near to you, this does not mean any less is happening.

“Safety is, of course, at the fore of all that our health boards and staff do, but we have also worked to ensure our vaccination locations meet the needs of the characteristics of the vaccines and are as conveniently located as possible for the community it will serve.

“Your local pharmacist may not be offering the jab just yet, but they may very well be working all hands-on-deck at your local mass vaccination centre instead.

“Conversely, mass vaccination centres aren’t suitable for every local authority so you may be asked to attend a community or mobile centre.

“We also want people to feel comfortable to be vaccinated and to do this as conveniently as possible too, especially for those most at risk from the harms of coronavirus.

"This means using GP practices for a lot of our national delivery and they will be a key focus as the roll-out progresses.

“I cannot stress enough; your local health care workforce are doing absolutely everything they can, and to them I am immensely thankful.

“When it is your turn, you will be notified of where to go. Please do not call your GP or health services to request a Covid-19 vaccine and add undue pressure to their workloads.”

Pharmacy settings are being piloted - similar to how care homes were in the initial stages - to establish the quickest, safest way to deliver vaccinations in these specific settings as they are much different and varied compared to GP surgeries and the bigger vaccination centres.