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

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:30 pm on 22 December 2021.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:30, 22 December 2021

Llywydd, Mike Hedges makes a very important point that sadly, very sadly, there are some Governments around the world who have simply wilfully refused to take those actions that would protect their populations, and the results are there for anybody to see. The new regime beyond Christmas will put new obligations on employers—not front-line workers, but the managers of premises—to make sure that they are running them in line with the new risks that are there from coronavirus. We continue to be in discussions with all of those sectors to reinforce the responsibilities, the legal responsibilities, that they will now have in Wales.

It's a very important point, the final point Mike Hedges made, about trying to get over to people the significance of having a booster. If you are doubly vaccinated with the AZ vaccine, as many people in the Senedd will have been, sadly it offers you a very, very low level of protection against the omicron variant. If you get a booster, the Pfizer or Moderna booster, that protection rebounds to up to 75 per cent. So, no vaccine is ever a complete guarantee, but with a booster, you have increased your protection against the omicron variant absolutely substantially. As I say, there is nothing more important that you will do that day than to go and get your booster, because it will help you, and collectively it helps to keep the whole of Wales safe.