3. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:20 pm on 29 April 2020.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:20, 29 April 2020

Thank you for the series of questions. On your first point, about actual rates of coronavirus infection, of course, these are the recorded instances, and we always have a health warning in every part of not just Wales, but the rest of the UK, that the real figures are likely to be higher. So, I'm not going to be drawn on definitive comparisons of different parts of the UK, but we know that the south-east part of Wales has had the most significant impact. You can see that not just in the number of confirmed cases, but actually in the way that our hospitals have seen people come into them requiring care, and in particular the way that intensive care capacity has been used. That is just as good a marker, if you like, of the circulation of the virus in different parts of Wales.

So, of course, we take seriously and want to understand exactly how the virus behaves as its behaviour has changed during the course of the pandemic. So, there are lessons from other parts of the UK, and a need to learn lessons within and across Wales, and that is a regular feature of the work and the discussions that we are having within Government and indeed within the service.

In terms of your point about an antibody test, we're not yet at the point where we have a reliable antibody test we can roll out across the country. There's a range of work on that. There's testing of a range of potential tests that are in the market, and every now and again you may see on social media someone claiming to have a useable and effective antibody test. Well, we need to test whether those claims are real or not and whether we can actually provide an antibody test that provides the level of usefulness that it plainly could have. That's why it features in our strategy, because we understand how useful that could be in understanding both the spread of coronavirus and how we actually take measures in the future to protect the wider public.

On talking therapies and mental health generally, it's part of my concern and part of my concern that I've set out previously about the use of our services. I'm not just concerned about physical health, I am just as concerned about mental health, both of the public but also of our staff, who are—. Despite the fact that the impact of coronavirus to date has not been as significant as we thought it really could be a few weeks ago, our staff are still dealing with an extraordinary period of events and there's a very real strain on our staff in doing so. That's why I've increased the availability across health and social care of access to support for our staff in doing their work. We need to keep them well so they can help to protect us. 

On flu vaccine, I think the constant message is the take-up of the flu vaccine. So, people who have been advised to take further care and to especially pay regard to social distancing—the starting group is for people who get a flu vaccine on the basis of their medical conditions. And it's a constant struggle each year—despite a very high profile public campaign, many people still don't take up the option they do have to have a free NHS flu jab. I certainly hope that this year people take even more seriously not just the opportunity but the real value in making use of that NHS flu jab to keep themselves and their family safe.

And there's the broader point about vaccination programmes. It's one of the key points I made not just in my statement but in previous statements, about wanting to maintain various parts of our public health architecture, and vaccination programmes are obviously a crucial part of that. So, in particular for parents of young children, please make sure that your children do continue to attend and take up those vaccines, because it's important not just to keep them healthy from coronavirus, but actually in their general health. The last thing I'd want to see are those common illnesses that we know cause real harm make a reappearance because as a nation we don't make sure that our people get vaccinated when they could and should do.