2. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's COVID-19 vaccination strategy? OQ57856

I thank the Member for that, Llywydd. The Minister for Health and Social Services published the latest COVID-19 vaccination strategy on 24 February. On 14 March, NHS Wales began the roll-out of spring boosters, starting with care home residents, along with the first vaccinations for five to 11-year-olds.

Thank you for that update, First Minister. Cwm Taf University Health Board is closing two of its community vaccination centres, including the one in Cynon Valley. For my constituents, the closest site now will be Merthyr Tydfil. There are real challenges around public transport links, and some of my constituents would need to catch four buses just to get there. What discussions is Welsh Government having with health boards to ensure that vaccination centres are accessible for all citizens in Wales, and what assessment has the Welsh Government made of the relationship between waning vaccination and rising COVID case numbers?

I thank Vikki Howells for that question, Llywydd, and I'll take her final point first, because, after a prolonged period of the number of people falling ill with coronavirus in Wales falling week by week, in the last 10 days we've seen numbers rising again, and not simply rising but rising rapidly and at an accelerating rate. Now, Wales continues to have the lowest incidence of coronavirus of any of the four UK nations, but the numbers that we are seeing are driving more people into hospital, and we've seen the very preliminary signs of more people needing intensive care as well. So, these are very concerning circumstances that we are having to face over this week, as we come to the end of the three-week review.

There are three factors that our advisers point to behind those numbers. The first, and the most significant, is the rise in BA.2—the variant of omicron that is even more transmissible than the original BA.1. There is the impact of vaccine waning, particularly amongst the oldest and most vulnerable parts of the population, because they were vaccinated first and they had their boosters first, and if there is any waning, it hits them first. And then there are the signs that maybe people are not as committed as they were earlier in the pandemic to taking those simple actions—mask wearing, social distancing, and so on, that continue to be, collectively, the most important actions we can take. So, that is part of why the continued vaccination programme is so important—the spring booster campaign, aimed at people aged over 75.

And the point that Vikki Howells made about needing to make sure that vaccination centres continue to be accessible to the whole population is, of course, a very important one. As we move into living safely with COVID, the number of centres is going to have to reduce, and we're going to have to release staff back into all the other important jobs that we expect them to be able to carry out within the health service. In the Cwm Taf health board area, there are significant numbers of people in those categories—3,400 people who will be vaccinated at home because they are housebound. And for people who have no access to their own vehicle and no access to public transport, then the 'vaxi taxi' scheme, operated through Age Connect—so a third sector-led scheme—will be available, to make sure that people in the circumstances set out by Vikki Howells aren't left without any means of accessing that vital vaccination.

First Minister, I'm sure that I'm not the only Member to have started to receive a steady increase in e-mails from constituents asking when they're going to receive their fourth vaccination. This in itself is positive, of course, that people want to receive their next vaccination. I've heard, of course, your answer to Vikki Howells, in regard to the over-75s receiving that during the spring, but there are many people who are in that age group who are contacting me—and the same will be for other Members as well. And those who are not in that category will want to know when they are receiving their fourth jab as well. My concern is that pressure will be put on health services or GPs or doctors, with residents asking when they're going to receive their fourth jab. So, can you tell me what communication messages the Welsh Government is putting out, and what health boards are putting out, to make sure that people are updated as to when they are likely to receive that first, initial letter for that fourth jab?

Thanks to Russell George for that question. As I said in my original answer, the spring booster campaign in Wales began last week, on 14 March, focusing on care home residents in the first instance. We expect, within a further three weeks, to have completed the bulk of care home vaccination. There will be some care homes, because of outbreaks, where there will be some further time needed, but the bulk of care home residents will have received that booster. And then we will continue with the rest of the population. It depends, as I know the Member is aware, on when you had your last vaccination when you get called, because a certain number of weeks have to elapse before it is safe and sensible for you to have the fourth vaccination. We will use all the normal means of communication—directly from health boards, using the Welsh Government's own social media channels, in which the leader of the opposition has shown considerable interest in recent times. We will be using those to make sure that we get that message across, and the key message in Wales is that you will be contacted by the health service; it doesn't rely on you going hunting for an appointment. The health service will come to you, and it will do it, as we've seen through the whole pandemic, very reliably and at the right moment for you. 

Thanks to the success of the vaccination programme, the proportion of people who catch the virus and who become severely ill is relatively lower than it should be, but there is a significant increase, as the First Minister said, in the number of those who are catching the virus at present. I'm hearing about staffing issues in health and care, schools sending children home, one further education college with almost a quarter of the students with COVID at the moment, and a nursery having to limit the children who could attend there for the first time in the entire pandemic. Bearing in mind those circumstances, does the First Minister agree with me that the sensible thing to do in this next three-week review is to not change the rules that we currently have, specifically around wearing a face mask and self-isolation? And is there a suggestion for those who are very concerned about the current increase about any further steps that could also be taken? 

I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth. The situation that we're facing during this week is challenging, isn't it? Of course, we want to make progress with the plan that we put in place some weeks ago, but the context is changing. And that's why the Cabinet has decided to wait until Thursday for the latest figures and for the latest advice from the chief medical officer, and so on, to help us to make these difficult decisions. It's possible to think of a future where we could move on with certain things whilst retaining others in order to respond to the situation that's arising now. We've all heard of people who can't work and the impact that that has on public services, but also on private business too. 

In terms of vulnerable people, the chief medical officer wrote to everyone on the list some weeks ago setting out the latest position. The best thing that we can all do to help people who are anxious about going out after a long period, and who are now hearing about what's happening, is to continue to do those things that we've all learnt to do: to use face coverings, to keep a social distance, to respect others. If vulnerable people feel that others are doing what they can, then I think that that's the best assistance we can provide in order to give them confidence to start socialising again and to do those everyday things that are important to them.