Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 20 January 2021.
Well, I think I should go back to some of the points I rehearsed with both Delyth Jewell and others on the prioritisation list. The independent, expert JCVI have given us advice on how to make best use of the vaccines that we have available; chief medical officers have endorsed that advice, because it will help to save as many lives as possible. The current priority list one to nine that the JCVI have recommended—and every Government, including your Conservative colleagues in England, has followed that prioritisation, because it should mean that 99 per cent of the hospitalisations and deaths that take place will be covered within those first nine priority groups. The JCVI will be considering advice to give to chief medical officers and Ministers like myself in all four Governments on the next phase of the vaccination that is to come. And I'm looking forward to receiving that advice and an understanding if they'll give advice on occupational risk groups for that second vaccination stage—whether people are teachers, police officers, taxi drivers or bus drivers, people need to consider the risk to different occupations of the harm that can be caused by COVID. When I get that advice, I'll then make a decision. I'll be open and transparent about what it is, but you can rely on the fact that my choice will be about the public health case, to save the greatest number of lives as quickly as possible.