WALES will move to a 'round the clock' system of coronavirus vaccination if there is public demand for it, and enough staff to provide it without affecting other parts the NHS, say health chiefs.

Prime minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons this morning spoke of a need to ramp up vaccination into a 24/7 system "as soon as we can" - and the issue was raised at today Welsh Government coronavirus briefing.

Asked if this ambition is shared here, NHS Wales chief executive Dr Andrew Goodall said the need is for activity to continue to increase, and he pointed out that in Wales, the number of vaccinations has doubled in a week.

"We have to align ourselves to the supplies available [and] there will be a step up from next week, particularly with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine," he said, adding that the number of vaccination centres, is being expanded along with the days and hours they operate.

READ MORE:

"Nothing is off limits in terms of choice," he said.

"If we at some point during this response feel there is an opportunity to do things on a 24-hour basis, we will do so."

Wales' Chief Medical Officer Dr Frank Atherton, said the expectation is that health boards will be flexible in their approach to providing vaccinations, "and if there is a real demand for further hours of opening, we would expect them to meet this - but supply is really important".

"We will go as fast as we can, but we will go as safely as we can - and we will go in a way which avoids wastage as much as we possibly can."

Dr Atherton added however, that those working to deliver vaccines are the same people working on other duties, and there is a need to ensure that the NHS is not destabilised in other areas by diverting them.