1. Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 22 December 2021.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 2:23, 22 December 2021

First Minister, can I ask how many people are in hospital with the new variant now, at the present time? And there's a real concern that some health boards—Betsi in particular—are cancelling planned operations to ensure the booster programme is being completed. Now, last month, we saw that 40,000 people were waiting over a year for treatment, and 9,000 over two years, each likely, or potentially, waiting for treatment in pain, unfortunately. So, are you confident that the booster programme is being rolled out sufficiently to community pharmacists and GPs and that is having a welcome input on planned NHS services? And what can be done to take pressure off the NHS and what assurances can you give to patients across Wales that their operations won't be significantly postponed?