THE coronavirus vaccine roll-out to care homes will start in north Wales care homes tomorrow, with it potentially being expanded to the rest of the country within the next week.

Health minister Vaughan Gething said if the vaccine roll-out is effective in the north Wales pilot scheme, then the Welsh Government can increase the pace of delivering it in to care homes elsewhere “over the next week.”

Last Tuesday, around 300 people were among the first in Wales to receive their initial shot of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in Cwmbran.

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However, Mr Gething admitted there had been issues with vaccinating people unable to travel to the vaccination centres, namely people in care homes, as the vaccine needs to be stored at around -70C.

“In the first few days, more than 6,000 people received the first dose of the vaccine,” said Mr Gething. “Clinics will continue this week, and we will begin vaccinating people living in care homes starting in north Wales from Wednesday.

“We are starting this phase of the programme slowly. We need to make sure we can safely transport the vaccine to people who can’t come to clinics.

“The vaccine has to be stored in ultra-low temperatures. Repackaging the vaccine into smaller quantities for use in care homes has to be done under strict conditions set by the regulator.

“There’s a risk that it becomes less potent if it is moved too much once its been thawed.

“This week, we will check we can repackage and deliver the vaccine without wasting any, and, crucially, that it still protects people.

“If all goes well this week, we will roll out care home vaccinations at a much greater pace ahead of Christmas, bringing a new level of protection to some of our most vulnerable people.”

“It’s not the first time that we’re piloting a national measure in north Wales. So north Wales first, and then the rest of the country will learn from that.

“If that works well, we’ll progressively roll it out to other parts of Wales.

“If it does work effectively then over the next week, we can have more pace in delivering the vaccine to care homes to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens.”