Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 1:35 pm on 20 January 2021.
Across Islwyn, the Welsh national health service in its entirety is rising to the challenge of this pandemic, but there is still much concern about a misinformation campaign in circulation, namely that the vaccination programme is way off target and off track, and any such deliberate fear-mongering is exacerbating the anxiety and fear already present in our communities. The truth is, every day, we are vaccinating more and more people in Wales. The latest figures show that 161,900 people have had their first dose of the vaccine, an average of 10,000 people every day now receiving that first dose of the vaccine. So, every week, that vaccination programme is speeding up as more clinics are opened and more vaccines are available for the army of healthcare professionals administering vaccines, in 28 vaccination centres across Wales, increasing to 45, and 100 GP practices vaccinating, set to rise to 250 in the next fortnight. So, Minister, how would you assess the success of the vaccine roll-out currently across Islwyn with this backdrop, and how do you see that proceeding in the future?