4. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:49 pm on 12 January 2021.

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Photo of Caroline Jones Caroline Jones UKIP 3:49, 12 January 2021

Thank you for your statement, Minister, and I'd like to take a moment to thank all the scientists and volunteers who've made it possible for us to be discussing this vaccination programme. Yesterday marked one year since the first ever recorded death from COVID-19, and in just 12 months we have approved three vaccines. This is truly remarkable. Minister, how will you be monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccine over time, especially as the period between doses is vastly different from that undertaken during phase 3 trials?

I, too, am concerned about vaccines being wasted due to people not attending, so I am concerned about what plans you have to minimise the wastage. Have you considered just having a list of people, especially teachers or police officers, who could be called in at the end of the day to be vaccinated, ensuring not a single dose of this precious resource goes to waste?

Finally, Minister, how will you ensure that people receiving their second dose will be given the same vaccine as their first dose? We have to ensure that we receive sufficient supplies of each vaccine to guarantee that there will be no mixing of different vaccines. And finally, how will you be monitoring this and what arrangements have you made with the UK Government to secure additional doses of a particular vaccine if required? Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.