Health minister, Vaughn Gething has confirmed that people who are currently homeless or have recently experienced this are going to be offered the Covid vaccine.

The decision was made to move these people into a priority group, after the Welsh Government deemed the homeless population at higher risk of infection.

They said that because these people were more likely to have underlying health conditions, it made them more susceptible to transmission and the harms of coronavirus.

‘According to ONS data, people with experience of homelessness have a lower than average non-Covid related life expectancy, with mortality at around 31 to 38 years sooner than the general population.’

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:

"A fundamental principle of our vaccination programme is that no one will be left behind and as part of this commitment, we are already working to ensure it is as easy as possible for every eligible adult in Wales to have a coronavirus vaccine if they want one."

Currently people are contacted via their GP or health records to be offered a vaccine. However, many homeless people may not be registered to such services, and may not have phones/emails to be contacted.

Therefore the government have said that local authorities, third sector and housing organisations, as well as homelessness support teams, will be key in helping to support individuals to take up their vaccine offer.

Minister for Housing and Local Government Julie James said:

"Today’s announcement means we will be able to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society."

Last year the Welsh Government announced £50 million to provide people with safe and secure homes, ensuring they do not fall into homelessness and no-one is forced back onto the streets.