Cardiff and Vale on track to meet priority vaccine target

Alex Seabrook, local democracy reporter

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is set to have offered Covid jabs to the first four priority groups by the end of the week.

So far, the health board has vaccinated 87,990 people. The third mass vaccination centre opened in Barry this week, in addition to the two centres at Pentwyn and Splott.

The first four priority groups include all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, all those aged 70 or over, frontline health and social workers, and clinically extremely vulnerable people.

Now people in those groups living in Cardiff or the Vale, who have not yet been contacted for a vaccine appointment, are urged to come forward and contact Cardiff & Vale UHB to get their jabs.

A health board spokesperson said: “Our GP practices have been instrumental in delivering the vaccine to our priority groups of people aged 75 and over and are also on course to have completed these by the weekend.

‘Vulnerable’

“Our mobile vaccination teams have attended all adult care homes across the region and are now visiting housebound patients who are 70 and over and clinically extremely vulnerable this week.

“Any patients that are in the top four priority groups that have not yet been contacted for an appointment we would ask them to please get in touch so we can ensure they receive their vaccine before Sunday if they want it.”

Priority group five is all those aged 65 or over, while priority group six is all those aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions putting them at higher risk of serious disease or death.

The health board is now booking appointments for group five to attend their GP practice and group six to attend one of the three mass vaccination centres from February 15.

The spokesperson added: “We would ask these groups to remain patient while we send out invitations to them.”

After reports on social media raised concerns of queues lasting an hour,  people going to mass vaccination centres are advised to wrap up warm and to turn up no more than five minutes before their appointment time, to prevent long queues.