CORONAVIRUS vaccine wastage in Wales is extremely low, and progress is "extraordinarily efficient", with reserve lists a vital part in ensuring as little as possible of a precious resource goes unused.

Just 0.1 per cent of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and 0.6 per cent of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been wasted in Wales during the ongoing coronavirus vaccination programme, health minister Vaughan Gething revealed today.

And he said that everyone invited to attend a vaccination centre - wherever it may be located - has a role to play in helping keep wastage rates low.

The vaccination programme is an "extraordinarily efficient process", said Mr Gething, and he added that all centres and all health boards in Wales should have reserve lists of people who can be called upon at short notice to receive a dose if any remain at the end of a session, "to make sure we don't waste vaccines".

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"I don't expect vaccines to be thrown away," he said.

"If we cannot attend [a vaccine appointment], let the vaccination team know as soon as possible.

"The worst thing possible is vaccine wastage because people have not attended, and vaccination teams do not know that until it is too late.

"We all need to play our part, because we will all benefit from rolling out the vaccine as soon as possible."