Covid vaccine: Wales lagging behind rest of UK with rollout

More than 14,000 people had their first dose of the Covid-19 jab in Wales in the past week, the latest figures show.

It takes the numbers on the priority list to have got the Pfizer-BioNTech jab to 49,403 since the rollout started on 8 December.

But Wales is lagging behind the rest of the UK so far, with a lower proportion of people getting a first dose.

The Welsh Government said that by next week, 60 GP practices and 20 centres would be vaccinating.

Health officials said the new Oxford vaccine would help speed up the programme "considerably".

The numbers do not include the first people to receive the new vaccine, which began to be given this week.

Public Health Wales (PHW) said the real numbers were likely to be higher, with the figures a snapshot based on those vaccines recorded electronically so far.

They give a breakdown by health board and also show how many people have been given their first dose.

The figures also include people, such as NHS staff, who work in Wales but live over the border, but do not yet give details of people in different priority categories.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, said: "We need real transparency on progress of the vaccination process.

"This must include clear targets and data on how many vaccines come to Wales, and how many are distributed and given out by each health board to each priority group - both the first and second doses - so we can measure this against the targets. This is how confidence can be built that Wales is on track."

The Welsh Government said: "These are early days in our mass vaccination programme. Momentum will continue to build and the speed of our vaccination programme will increase each week.

"From Monday, the number of people vaccinated will be published daily and we will publish our vaccination rollout plan early next week."

The figure in Wales means approximately 1.6% of people have been vaccinated up to 3 January - fewer than other UK nations - and the gap appears to be growing compared to last week.

In England, nearly 1.1 million people were given the first dose by 3 January. This is about 1.9% of the population. NHS England said 60% of doses have gone to people aged over 80.

If vaccinations were being given at the same rate in Wales as in England, a further 13,000 people would have been given a dose.

In both Scotland and Northern Ireland, 2.1% of people have been given a first dose.

Dental nurse Samantha Davies, 47, who has shielded since March, was overjoyed at the prospect of having the coronavirus vaccine and returning to work.

But she is now in limbo after confusion over whether she could have the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab because of her ongoing treatment for Crohn's Disease.

After filling out a questionnaire sent by PHW, a consultant recommended she should have the Pfizer-BioNTech jab instead.

This is because of the inflectra infusion treatment she receives every eight weeks to treat her Crohn's Disease - a type of inflammatory bowel condition.

However, the Pfizer vaccine is in shorter supply than the Oxford vaccine and the Swansea practice where Samantha works was only offered 10 vaccinations.

As Samantha, from Foelgastell, Carmarthenshire, is shielding and not in work, she was not considered a priority for one of these.

Swansea Bay health board has since said the advice about vaccines was given in error and pledged to arrange an appointment for her as soon as possible.

"It's just being home all the time. Some people I know had it two or three weeks ago. The government put me shielding since March on sick pay and I just want to return to work," she said.

While she was furloughed from April to August, Samantha has been on statutory sick pay since.

Dr Gillian Richardson, the senior officer responsible for the Covid-19 vaccine programme in Wales, said the efforts from NHS Wales and PHW had been "exceptional".

"The number of doses unable to be used have been incredibly low - around 1% - and significantly below anticipated levels, thanks to the robust appointment planning and reserve lists," she said.

"The NHS is providing vaccines as quickly and as safely as possible to people in the priority groups."

However, 80-year-old Derek Hinchliffe, who is eligible for a first dose of a Covid vaccine during this period of the rollout, said he was "frustrated" because he has had no information about getting the first dose.

Mr Hinchliffe, who lives with his wife in Penpedairheol in Caerphilly county, said: "We've had nothing - no communication.

"We've got friends the same as us who live in England who have had their first dose, and some of them are having their second vaccination."

Conservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies renewed his call for a vaccinations minister to be appointed to take control.

"Of course we welcome the increase in the number of vaccinations, but the rough calculation is that one in 65 people in Wales has had their jab compared to one in 50 in England," he said,

"Factor in the postcode lottery emerging in Wales, and the picture's not looking great.

"You're twice as likely in south Wales to have had the vaccination and three times more likely to have had it in mid Wales than in north Wales."

Dr Richardson called the second Covid vaccine - Oxford-AstraZeneca - which began its roll-out on Monday a "real game-changer".

She said it would help speed up vaccinations considerably.

There are challenges with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because it has to be stored at extremely cold temperatures, while the Oxford vaccine can be be kept in a fridge.

Both vaccines will be available in Wales and the Welsh Government said 40,000 doses of the Oxford jab would be available within the first two weeks - with 22,000 jabs this week.