Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:10 pm on 14 December 2021.
Thank you very much, Rhun. I think you're right that very high numbers are going to catch this new variant, and I accept that people's expectations are very high, but I would like to ask the public to wait until they are called so that we can maintain order. Some 26,000 people were vaccinated yesterday, so we've already increased the capacity hugely over the past few days. In terms of people who are vaccinated at home, we have provided additional encouragement for GPs to help to increase the numbers of those who will be vaccinated at home. We will have walk-in centres, but they won't be the same as they have in England, because we are determined to ensure that young people, for example, who are fit, who are 20 years of age, for example, don't receive the vaccine before those who are at high risk and who are, say, 64 years of age. So, yes, walk-ins will be available, but they will be available to a specific cohort of people, and so we will be doing things slightly differently to the way that they're being done in England.
In terms of restoring services and keeping services on track, well, Rhun, if you know what January will look like in the NHS, then you're doing better than me, because I think that the situation will be very difficult in January. We don't know how omicron is going to impact the NHS. We don't know how many staff will be off sick as a result of omicron. So, clearly, it is very difficult for us to forecast what January is going to look like. So, we do have a plan for the next three weeks. We always have a winter plan for the NHS. That is already in place. But, clearly, we will perhaps have to adapt that plan in the face of the fact that this variant is going to put increased pressure on the sector.
The Cabinet will, obviously, meet later on in the week to decide whether we will need additional measures to keep us safe over the Christmas period.