Covid: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout to start in Wales next week

The rollout of a second Covid-19 vaccine across Wales will begin next week, the Welsh Government has said.

The coronavirus vaccine designed by scientists at the University of Oxford was approved for use in the UK on Wednesday.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses from the manufacturer AstraZeneca - enough to vaccinate 50 million people.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said it was not "a quick fix" and the impact will not be seen for months.

He said he would be "delighted" if there was population coverage by Easter, but said he did not want to "give out false hope", adding: "By April, if the weather is improving, it will allow us to do more things outside."

Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses.

Wales is set to receive its population share of the 100 million doses over the next weeks and months.

Mr Gething said the fact it can be stored in a fridge meant it could be rolled out in care homes and from GP pharmacies far more easily.

"We understand there are high expectations and excitement at the arrival of a second vaccine," he added.

"However, it will take time to reach everyone as this is not an instant fix. We won't receive all the doses at once and we have to be realistic about the scale and pace of delivery when we are vaccinating the entire adult population.

"We will not see the impact of the vaccine for some months and the pressure on the NHS will continue during this winter. It is essential that we all continue to play our part and do the right thing to protect each other."

He added "nobody will be left behind" by the Welsh NHS, and people were asked to wait to be invited for the vaccination.

The vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and deemed to be safe and effective following large-scale clinical trials.

At the beginning of December, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was the first to receive MHRA approval in the UK, with 40 million doses made available for delivery across the UK.

Rollout has begun to front-line health and social care staff, as well as care home residents and staff and people aged over 80.

In the first two weeks, 22,000 people were vaccinated, and the Welsh Government believe about 30,000 have now received it.

Unlike the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at normal vaccine fridge temperatures.

This means it will have few storage and transportation issues, making it much easier to use in community settings such as care homes and GP surgeries.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said it "takes us a step closer to our normal lives".

The Conservative MP added: "Like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the UK government has procured and paid for millions of doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for all parts of the UK, and with vaccine production taking place in north Wales it will put Wales on the frontline of the global stage in the fight again the Covid pandemic.

A laboratory in Wrexham will produce the vaccine, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying it could provide "salvation for humanity" following a visit.

Senior responsible officer for Wales' vaccine programme Dr Gillian Richardson said it was "great news" a second vaccine had met "strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness".

Dr Nicola Williams, of Health and Care Research Wales, which is nationally co-ordinating research and studies in Wales, said: "Our research community is working hard to provide the evidence we need to fight this pandemic and the approval of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is an important step forward.

"We have two further vaccines being tested in Wales right now, with more trials due to be set up in the coming weeks and months."