Covid vaccine: First batch arrives in Wales

The first batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has arrived in Wales ahead of Tuesday's much-anticipated rollout.

The vaccine arrived at Wales' seven health boards in unassuming brown cardboard boxes on Monday afternoon.

Front-line NHS staff and over-80s will be the first to get the jab.

There will be nearly 40,000 doses of the vaccine available initially, enough to vaccinate nearly 20,000 people, the Welsh Government has said.

Dr Matt Morgan, an intensive care consultant at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, will be among the first to get the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

He said the vaccinations had brought "hope for the first time in a long time".

On Sunday, Health Minister Vaughan Gething warned it would take months before some people were able to receive the vaccine.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Dr Morgan said: "I'm feeling kind of proud, in a way, that science and medicine and humanity has made this vaccine in less than a duration of a pregnancy.

"From when the first patient was admitted to intensive care in Cardiff with Covid, it will be 38 weeks to the day, and it is pretty remarkable that in that time, the vaccine is here.

"Because of that, I am feeling hopeful, for the first time in a long time.

"But also, I am realistic - this isn't going to make things better overnight and all of the other things that society and the public have been doing, sadly, remain more important than ever."

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first to be approved for use by UK regulators last week, and requires two separate injections, a few weeks apart.

Ahead of the vaccination programme beginning on Tuesday, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: "It is expected nearly 1,000 doses will be administered in the first phase by each of the seven health boards in Wales by the end of the weekend.

"This will take place at one vaccination centre in each of the seven health boards, mostly in hospitals."

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been trialled on more than 40,000 people, with only mild side-effects reported.

Dr Morgan said the biggest risk in getting the vaccine was driving to the test centre to have it done, while the benefits of the injections were "huge".

"This vaccine has risks which are tiny. Absolutely tiny. It has been tested on 40,000 people.

"The benefits, to me, are not getting sick, hopefully my patients not getting sick, my colleagues not getting sick, my family not getting sick and all those other downstream benefits."

Once vaccinated, people will be issued with a card with details of the vaccine name, date of vaccination and the batch numbers of each of the dose.

It will also act as a reminder for a second appointment, as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires two doses, but the cards will not hold any personal information.

The Welsh Government said: "We have no plans to produce vaccine passports or ID cards but everyone who receives a Covid-19 vaccination will be given an NHS Wales immunisation card with the vaccine name, date of vaccination and the batch numbers of each of the dose.

"This is designed to be a reminder about when the second dose is due and will help people report any side effects."