Covid vaccines: Concern after minister says care home target reached

A watchdog has expressed concerns over the roll-out of vaccinations in Welsh care homes after a minister said a key target had been reached.

Mental Health Minister Eluned Morgan said all care homes had been offered jabs by the end of January.

But older people's commissioner Helena Herklots said it was disappointing a "significant number" of care home residents had not had the jab.

The Welsh Government said homes with no active cases had received vaccines.

Latest statistics show 75.1% of care home residents - 12,836 people - have had a first dose, although there is a lag between the time a dose is administered and when it appears in the statistics.

The target was one of a set of pledges laid out in the Welsh Government's vaccination strategy.

Baroness Morgan told a press conference that all care homes for older people "have either received visits from vaccination teams, or have visits planned."

Homes that have had live Covid cases in the past 20 days have not had visits, the minister said.

She said vaccination teams would visit those places "as soon as the public health advice allows".

As of Sunday night, a total of 416,306 people in Wales have had their first jab, more than 13% of Wales' population.

Figures released on Monday also showed 74.5% of people over the age of 80 - 136,186 people - have now had a first jab.

Ministers missed a pledge to reach 70% of over-80s by 25 January and blamed the snow in some parts of Wales.

The commissioner said "it is disappointing and concerning that, based on the latest published figures available, a significant number of older people living in care homes in Wales - around a quarter - appear to still be waiting to be vaccinated".

She said that was despite care home residents being at the very top of the priority list.

She was also disappointed that despite confirming that visits to care homes had been planned, "the Welsh Government did not provide any information about when vaccines would actually be delivered to residents".

Ms Herklots added: "I have written to the Welsh Government to raise my concerns about this delay, and have asked them to provide me with a detailed timeline that sets out when they expect all older people living in care homes to have received their first dose of vaccine.

"I am also seeking assurance that this delay will not impact upon the roll-out of the vaccine to other priority groups or the rollout of people's second doses."

Baroness Morgan said the roll-out meant care home visits would be allowed to resume soon.

"With the vaccine being rolled out in care homes now, in a few weeks' time it will be easier for us to allow people to visit," she said.

But the minister urged families to err on the side of caution for the time being, until the vaccines have had time to take effect.

Mary Wimbury, chief executive of Care Forum Wales which represents homes and other service providers, said: "We do need to have an element of caution in this".

She said people were "still waiting for the second dose" of a Covid vaccine.

"It is going to be a gradual change in terms of visiting," she told Gareth Lewis on BBC Radio Wales.

Baroness Morgan encouraged everybody who was eligible for a vaccine to take it up.

There have been reports that some care home staff in England have refused to be vaccinated, although Baroness Morgan said the Welsh Government was not at the point of making it mandatory.

However, she said vaccines were "particularly important in care homes because of the vulnerability of the people who are living there".

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "All care homes where there were no active cases and those with small outbreaks where others could be vaccinated safely have received the vaccine."

She said health boards had records of all those not yet vaccinated and had plans to provide one "as soon as it is safe to do so".

She added: "We have met our aim to reach all the older people care homes that it was possible to reach by the end of January.

"Not all residents will have received their vaccination yet, for different reasons...

"Where a care home has positive cases within the last 20 days the local health hoard have to determine whether it is safe for residents, staff and vaccinators to enter homes and administer vaccinations."