4. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:30 pm on 16 March 2021.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:30, 16 March 2021

(Translated)

I have two questions and two points, Minister. The two questions relate to questions that are raised with me by constituents, and I'm sure with other Members, on the process. I want to start, of course, by thanking everyone involved in the vaccination process. It's still working well, and we're clearly on the right track.

One of the questions is about what happens at the end of the day. People hear about people getting in through the back door because they might know somebody and so on. A strategy for using up the leftover doses when people don't turn up is very important. You know that I'm eager to see people in particular roles being prioritised. You disagree with me on that, but should an effort be made now to bring those into a robust strategy, even if it's just for using up those spare doses at the end of the day?

Secondly, you know how people follow the data very carefully, and look at what's happening within their health boards and the rest of Wales at the moment. And they do occasionally see and hear anecdotally a feeling that their area might be falling behind. Now, I'm convinced that we're likely to reach a point ultimately that we all want to get to, but what monitoring do you do as a Government to ensure consistency across Wales, and within health boards, on the pace of the vaccination process, to ensure that there aren't major differences from one area to another?

Now the two points I want to make. My constituency, my county, is one of those areas where there's a stubbornly high number of cases still. I appeal to you to continue to seek innovative and new ways of communicating the danger of the virus, and also to find more ways of supporting people. There are still people who choose not to go for a test, or choose not to self-isolate because they are concerned of the implications of that. They may be on low wages, and they may be concerned about the financial impact on them. So, continue, as I've constantly called for, to look for ways of supporting those people, so that they get the help that they need to self-isolate and to go for a test. 

The other is around AstraZeneca. Just to make the point myself, I believe it's quite right that people take an interest and ask questions about the safety of the vaccination, but we must remind ourselves, if there is a proven risk with blood clots—and there isn't as of yet—we're talking about one in half a million people who are vaccinated, as was explained to us in a briefing this morning. I was looking at a report this morning that says that one in five people with COVID can experience some sort of blood clot, and one in three people in an intensive care department. So, that's the reality in terms of where the risk really lies.