Health board moves on to next phase of delivery plan
LETTERS will arrive in the coming days inviting 20,000 Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire residents aged 75 to 79 years to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination centre, Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) has announced.
The letter will provide an appointment time at one of the following mass vaccination centres:
Carmarthen – Halliwell Conference Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint David
■ Llanelli – Ffwrnes Theatre
■ Aberystwyth – Thomas Parry Library, Llanbadarn Campus, Aberystwyth University
Cardigan – Teifi Leisure Centre
Haverfordwest – Pembrokeshire Archives, Prendergast
Tenby – Tenby Leisure Centre
These mass vaccination centres will provide a safe environment, with space to maintain social distancing while allowing more people to be vaccinated as efficiently and as quickly as possible.
A spokesman for the health board said: “It is vital that you make every effort to attend your appointment.
“You will need to delay your vaccination if you have had a positive coronavirus test within 28 days of this appointment or if you are unwell with a fever, have a new continuous cough or a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell.
“Please let us know if you cannot attend or need to delay your appointment as soon as possible by calling the number provided in your appointment letter. This will mean we can give your appointment to someone else and save NHS resources.”
Steve Moore, chief executive of Hywel Dda UHB, said: “Until now we have been using our mass vaccination centres to vaccinate our front-line staff in health, social care and care homes. With over 85% of frontline health workers having had their first dose, and seeing rapid progress with care home staff and social care staff, we are now moving on to the next phase of our delivery plan.
“The opening of our mass vaccination centres to the public will allow us to offer more people a vaccine as soon as supplies are available to us.
“If you have received an invitation it is because you are in a priority group and at greater risk of complications if you catch Covid-19.
“Vaccines are safe, effective and save lives and the Covid vaccine offers our community hope. By receiving your vaccine, you will continue to play your small but incredibly important part in protecting yourself, the most vulnerable in our communities and our local NHS. Thank you.”
The health board asks that when you attend your appointment, you should bring with you:
■ Your appointment letter
■ Some form of ID such as your passport, driving licence or utility bill in your name
■ A face mask (if you don’t have one, you will be given one).
People aged 80 years and over will continue to be invited by their GP practice to receive the vaccine, all of which have received a supply of vaccines.
The health board has also commissioned GP practices to vaccinate housebound patients and residents in care homes.
Hywel Dda UHB is working to offer a vaccine to everyone in priority groups 1 to 4 by midfebruary. People over 70 years of age and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable as part of priority group 4 will be invited next to receive a vaccine. The health board will provide further information at the earliest opportunity.
Please do not attend any vaccination venue without an appointment and do not contact your GP, pharmacy or health board to ask when you will be invited. People are being invited to receive the vaccine in order of priority.