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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:31 pm on 23 November 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:31, 23 November 2021

Well, diolch yn fawr Russell. I must say, in terms of the vaccine passport, we will, like everything else, keep all the options on the table. I think it would be irresponsible for us, particularly when we see the rates on the continent go through the roof, not to keep everything on the table. So, that option will continue to be on the table. We continue our discussions with the sector. It is true that we're having mixed messages, if I'm honest, from the sector. Some clearly are less enthusiastic about the prospect of vaccine passports, but many, many others are saying, 'Look, if this is what it will take to keep us open over Christmas, then we'll welcome it.' So, they prefer the security of knowing what the situation is likely to be, and keeping it open is really what they are really focused on. 

I think, in terms of the continent, it's clear that the delta variant is hitting them much later than it hit us. So, we know that there's a 70 per cent advantage of the delta variant over the alpha variant, which is why it is really becoming far more transmissible now on the continent. And there's plenty of evidence to demonstrate that indoor places, where lots of people congregate, we are more likely to see the spread of the virus. So, there's plenty of evidence to support that case. And, so, that's what we're keeping our eye on.

We don't have any plans for compulsory vaccinations. We're very proud of the fact that the Welsh public have responded really positively to the vaccination programme. We've got 91 per cent of people over the age of 16 who've had the first vaccination; 86 per cent of people over 16 have had the second dose. And I think we've got to bear this in mind constantly. When we keep on worrying about the situation in relation to a COVID pass—86 per cent of the public have had their vaccination, both vaccinations. It's the minority that's making a lot of noise here, and I do think that we need to be very careful that we're listening not just to the voices of the minority, but we are protecting the majority who've come with us on this journey, who see it and understand their responsibility to their fellow human beings. And I think it's really important that we don't lose sight of that. 

The vaccination plan in Wales, in terms of the booster, it's not a free for all, no; we are doing a very comprehensive programme where we're calling people in an order, where we're following the same order as we did with the first vaccination. Obviously, with Pfizer it's more complicated because people have to wait for 15 minutes after they've had their vaccination. So, it is a more sophisticated and more difficult programme. And, obviously, we have lots of different vaccination programmes that we're undertaking at the same time here. It's a very, very complex mix that we're trying to service at the moment. 

And, of course, we're more than aware of the pressure on the NHS at the moment, and that's why we do have, in particular, when it comes to emergency services—we've put an extra £25 million into emergency care. We are developing these urgent primary care centres; we're completing the 111 call centres; we are developing more same-day emergency care centres to avoid admission into hospitals; and we're implementing far more discharge to assess. So, all of those things are being undertaken with our six goals programme, and, of course, on top of that, we've brought the army in to help us out with the ambulance service, and we are really focused on the fragility of our care service.