First Minister defends slower vaccine rollout in Wales

First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the slower rollout of the vaccination programme in Wales – saying the Pfizer vaccine could not be used all at once.

The Welsh Government has faced criticism in the past week for vaccinating fewer people in proportion to its population than the other home nations.

Statistically, Wales is behind the other nations of the UK in delivering the first dose of the vaccine per 100,000.

As of last week, 3,215 had received it in Wales, compared to 3,514 in Scotland, 4,005 in England and 4,828 in Northern Ireland.

Mr Drakeford dismissed the statistics as “very marginal differences”, and went on to explain that supplies of the Pfizer vaccine had to last until the beginning of February and would not be used all at once.

Coronavirus graphic
(PA Graphics)

“The sensible thing to do is to use the vaccine you’ve got over the period that you’ve got it for so that your system can absorb it, they can go on working, that you don’t have people standing around with nothing to do.

“We will vaccinate all four priority groups by the middle of February, alongside everywhere else in the UK.”

Mr Drakeford said Wales was “on track” to vaccinate the top four priority groups by the middle of February.

“The thing that limits us at the moment is supply and we’re using every bit of the vaccine that we are getting,” he said.

“We know that that supply will be ramping up rapidly over the coming weeks and we are ready to use all the supply that we are getting in Wales and on track to deliver vaccination to the priority groups.”

The First Minister told Sky News around 150,000 people would have been vaccinated in Wales by the end of Monday.

“There’s a long way to go with vaccination – we’re going to be doing this for months and months, not just for weeks.

“At the moment, the thing that is limiting us is just volume of supply, we could vaccinate more people than we’ve got vaccine.

“But we also know that that, too, is going to increase rapidly over the coming weeks.”

He told Sky News one of the four batches of the Oxford vaccine Wales was due to receive this week had failed testing.

“One of those batches has not come through the testing process and we will get it next week, we’re told, instead,” Mr Drakeford added.

“When you’re trying to do everything on a massive scale and at such speed there are going to be moments where not everything goes according to plan.

“But we are assured we will get that supply in exchange for this week next week, and we will be able to use it all then.”

Cardiff shoppers
Shoppers in Cardiff during coronavirus restrictions (PA)

“The Welsh Labour Government is failing to deliver its vaccine programme.

“His shocking doubling-down on his decision to delay deployment of Pfizer vaccine supplies is dangerous, and makes no clinical sense whatsoever.

“We need to get these vaccinations into people’s arms ASAP. Lives and livelihoods across Wales are at stake.”

Conservative former Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb said: “Some astonishing comments this morning from Labour’s First Minister in Wales defending his go-slow vaccination strategy.

“Over-80s in Wales desperate to know when their vaccinations will be starting.”

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