ALL eligible adults in Wales will be offered a booster jab for Covid-19 by the end of January.
Health minister Eluned Morgan said that over the coming weeks, the aim is to deliver more than 20,000 vaccines a week.
The NHS is currently administering 19,000 booster vaccines a day. The Welsh Government has said it aims to improve on this by providing more vaccination centres in easy-to-access locations. These will include walk-in and drive-through clinics which will be open longer.
GPs and community pharmacies will be delivering the vaccine and local government, fire services and students will provide support to clinics. They have also requested assistance from the military.
The announcement comes just shy of the first anniversary of the first Covid-19 vaccine being administered in Wales on December 8 last year.
The Welsh Government highlighted that in the past year, the vaccination programme has involved 58 vaccination centres and 46 hospitals, more than 400 pharmacies and GPs, 92 military personnel, 96 mobile vaccination units and five million vaccines administered.
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Health minister Eluned Morgan said: “The development and the roll-out of these vaccines has been a truly remarkable achievement.
“Thanks to an unprecedented global effort, we have several successful, effective and safe vaccines and have reached the vast majority of our population. However, the vaccines become less effective over time so it’s really important that people come forward to have a booster when invited to extend their protection.
“Millions of people have accepted the vaccine, it has saved lives and helped prevent serious illness in tens of thousands of people.
“I want to place on record my thanks to everyone involved in the vaccination programme in Wales for their hard work over the last year and for their help in the coming weeks.
“Please wait until you are invited for your booster and prioritise your appointment over everything else to support the hard-working staff and volunteers at our vaccination centres, who will be spending a second festive period to keep Wales safe.
“With high levels of the Delta variant in the community and the emergence of the Omicron variant, you can continue to disrupt the transmission of the virus by wearing a face covering in indoor public places, getting tested, self-isolating when positive and getting vaccinated.”
The Welsh Government said that more than 80 per cent of people aged 65 and over have had their booster vaccination. They urge anyone in this category who has yet to have theirs to contact their local health board.
They also urge people who have not yet had a vaccine and are eligible to come forward to receive their first dose.
There are details on the Welsh Government website if people want to help the vaccine programme by volunteering. Healthcare professionals can find information on how they can help and volunteer on the Health Education and Improvement Wales website.
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