Efforts are stepped up to roll out vaccine
MORE than 100,000 people in West Wales have now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine as efforts are stepped up to roll out the programme to those under the age of 70.
More than 92% of people in the first four priority groups across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire have now been given a vaccine, a total of 101,938 as of Monday morning.
Hywel Dda University Health Board confirmed the target set earlier this month to offer the vaccine to everyone in the first four priority groups by midFebruary had been met, thanks to what they called “the biggest vaccination programme ever in the history of the NHS”.
The roll-out will now continue and thousands more people are set to be vaccinated at GP practices and mass vaccination centres across the three counties in the coming weeks and months.
The spread of coronavirus is down across the health board region, with the latest infection rate (for the seven days up to February 11) at 69.4 in Carmarthenshire, 24.8 in Ceredigion and 40.5 in Pembrokeshire. A week ago (based on the seven days up to February 4), those rates were 137.2, 59.2 and 65.2 respectively.
“This vaccination programme offers a real solution in the fight against Covid-19 and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played their part in this achievement,” said Steve Moore, chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board.
“I’d also like to thank our community in priority groups 1 to 4 who have come forward in large numbers to receive their vaccine. We have surpassed this in all four groups and this puts our three counties in a very strong position to protect the most vulnerable in our communities and our local NHS.
“We hope to see this high uptake continue as we move to vaccinate groups 5 to 9 by spring and to the rest of our adult population through the summer. Thank you.”
As for what happens next, the health board has confirmed that people aged between 65 and 69 will receive letters in the next two weeks inviting them to attend a vaccine centre.