Llywydd, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended an acceleration of the vaccine programme following the emergence of this new variant. I have accepted the JCVI's advice, and I echo the words of its chair, who has said that we will get the greatest benefit if we can vaccinate people before another wave hits. We will be extending the booster programme to all adults aged of 18 to 39, and reducing the gap between the second dose and the booster from six months to three months. We will continue to vaccinate people in order of risk—people who are older or clinically vulnerable will be called first. We will offer people who are immunosuppressed a booster dose three months after they have had their third primary dose. All 12 to 15-year-olds will also be eligible for a second dose. This strategy is aimed at saving lives, protecting the NHS and reducing infection as far as possible.

Expanding the roll-out of the vaccination programme will be challenging. We are relying on our NHS workforce to, once again, deliver an urgent pandemic response in order to protect our public health. They've already done so much throughout the course of the pandemic. I would like to put on record my thanks to all of our health and care staff who have worked so hard, and to the vaccine teams who are planning the expansion of this vital programme. We will continue to offer vaccines to people who are unvaccinated or may only have had one dose. I just want to make it quite clear: it is never too late to be vaccinated.

Llywydd, there has never been a more important time for us all to work together to protect our families and our loved ones. In addition to our fantastic vaccination programme, we still need to keep doing the small things that will keep us safer through the pandemic: self-isolating and getting tested if we have symptoms, taking regular lateral-flow tests, particularly before we go out to busy places, meeting people outdoors if possible, keeping our distance where we can, washing our hands regularly and wearing a face covering.

This is a worrying time and, of course, we all hope that this pandemic won't overshadow Christmas. We know that everyone is tired of this pandemic, and we all want it to end. But we all need to work together to look after each other once again. This is a fast-moving situation, and we are closely monitoring the situation. If the evidence suggests that we need to take further steps to protect people, we will do that. We don't want to make life difficult for people, but we will do everything that we can to keep Wales safe. Thank you.