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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:57 pm on 12 January 2021.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:57, 12 January 2021

Yes, thank you, and thank you in particular for, again, mentioning our staff, who are working under incredible pressure to both deliver the vaccination and to protect the public, but also with the ongoing care and treatment for people who are ill from both COVID and non-COVID illness as well. And there is certainly no lack of urgency within our national health service and partner organisations for the task in hand. I understand why there is some concern about 'Is Wales falling behind or not?' I think that, when you look at the progress made over the last week, we went faster than Scotland on a per-head basis within the last week, not as fast as England and Northern Ireland. When we come back to look at this in the middle of February and again by Easter, I think people will be genuinely proud of what Wales will have achieved. I am confident that team Wales really will deliver for all of us in protecting the wider public. 

On your point about the challenges over new variants arising, we have the South African variant and the Kent variant that we know spread much more rapidly, and that's caused a real problem in every part of the UK. So, you'll be aware, as indeed will all other Members who attended the briefing for health and social care committee members today, that there are thousands of variants that have appeared from coronavirus, and they're monitored between the different public health agencies within the United Kingdom. And things only become a variant of concern if they look as if there are difficult or troubling aspects. It's why we are so concerned about the South African variant and the Kent variant. We talk about those and we talk about the Danish mink variant, but we don't talk about the several thousand other variants that have arisen because they've fallen away. So, yes, the greater prevalence, I understand why there may be a concern about will this mean there could be more troubling matters, but actually we have a relatively good surveillance system, and in all the variants of concern the same control measures work: keeping your distance, washing your hands, wearing a face covering where possible, having good ventilation, but crucially avoiding mixing with other households. That is the biggest control measure we can all take, and that will help us to have a very different future with as many of us as possible at the end of this journey together once vaccination provides coverage and protection for the whole population.