Covid vaccination roll-out reaches 50,000 jabs in Powys
Around 50,000 coronavirus jabs have now been given in Powys, a health boss has revealed.
But Powys Teaching Health Board says there has been a slower pace of first dose vaccinations recently, until AstraZeneca supplies build up further.
The health board says the final invitations for people in priority group five (ages 65 to 69) will also shortly be in the post.
Carol Shillabeer, chief executive, Powys Teaching Health Board, said the main focus for the vaccination programme last week was continuing to vaccinate people aged 65-69, sending out invitations for adults with underlying health conditions and delivering second dose vaccinations for people who received their first dose in December.
And its vaccination programme today reached 50,000 doses.
She added: "Given the changes in UK vaccine supply, we are also closing our reserve list for the time being.
"Our reserve list was a crucial part of our vaccination programme when we were delivering first dose vaccinations using Pfizer/BioNTech.
"This is because we needed to ensure that the large trays of around 1,000 doses were used within four days to prevent wastage.
"But now our first dose vaccination programme is focused on AstraZeneca.
"This vaccine is much easier to store, transport and deliver. This means we do not need a dedicated reserve list to avoid wastage.
"Instead, we use cancelled slots to invite anyone in priority groups one to five who has not yet received their first dose, and to continue to invite people in priority group six.
"In fact, our rate of vaccination per head is the highest in Wales. This is an amazing achievement given our rural geography.
Vital
"It is important to note that our high rates do reflect that our population is older than the Wales average.
"This means that we have a higher proportion of people to vaccinate in priority groups one to five than in other parts of the country.
"This has given us a bigger vaccination challenge in these early weeks – and this makes me even more grateful for the team effort we have seen from staff, partners, volunteers and local communities."
She said the next few weeks of the vaccination programme will be complex, adding: "We are in a period where first dose vaccinations are slower than in previous weeks, and we are beginning to deliver vaccination for priority group six, where eligibility is based on medical history or carer responsibilities, rather than date of birth.
"Given these challenges, we do ask everyone to please be patient and wait to be contacted.
"A lot of work has been under way at a national level in recent weeks to clarify eligibility in this group, as many people will clearly want to know whether they will be included in priority group six because of underlying health conditions or carer responsibilities.
"And do please remember that it remains vital for everyone to continue to follow the guidance on hands, face, space even if you have received the vaccine."
