Covid vaccinations in Wales: How is the rollout going?

More than 550,000 people in the top priority groups have been given their first doses of Covid vaccines in Wales.

This is 17.7% of the Welsh population.

The aim is to ensure just under 750,000 people - including health workers and people aged over 70 - get a first dose by mid-February.

After criticism about a slower start, Wales is now vaccinating more people per head of population than other UK nations, based on a daily rolling average of first doses.

We get figures daily - and more of a local breakdown weekly - to show how things are progressing. Here are some of the key numbers:

The daily numbers show 155,884 of the over-80s - 84.7% - have now received a first dose.

In addition, 68.4% of those aged 75 to 79 and nearly 42.9% of those aged 70 to 74 have had their first doses.

Meanwhile, 78.2% of care home residents have had their first dose. There is a little overlap between the two groups and figures are adjusted as more information is collated.

Sometimes there is a complication with immunising residents if there is an outbreak at a home, leading to a wait of 20 days until it is clear of the virus.

In addition, 81.5% of care home workers, or 32,668, have received a vaccine dose.

The other key priority group is healthcare workers, with 113,059 of them so far given a vaccine dose.

It means Wales is on course to meet its target for the top priority groups by 12 February under the seven day average, or by 10 February if based just on Friday's daily figure.

The latest daily figures show the total receiving a first dose up to Friday night was 556,997 - up 33,995, the best single day so far - and the rate has risen to 17.7% of the population.

Figures for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are published daily after 17:00 GMT.

We get a series of weekly figures from Public Health Wales, which break down figures by health board - but the latest going to Sunday 31 January.

The latest set show:

The figures show Powys had given first doses to nearly 17% of its population by 31 January and in Cardiff and Vale and Hywel Dda, it was just over 12%.

The breakdown also shows Swansea Bay had given first doses to more than two thirds of its 75-79-year-old priority group by Sunday; Cardiff and Vale the lowest proportion, just over 27%.

But Cardiff and Vale had reached 27.1% of its 70 to 75-year-olds, the second highest proportion after Cwm Taf Morgannwg, which had a 37.2% take-up of that age group.

Wales' chief medical officer Frank Atherton tweeted on Friday that it marks 60 days since vaccinations began in Wales.

We have to bear in mind the vaccine figures that are published in Wales, unlike in England, are not "real time."

It takes up to five days after a person receives a dose for the data to be actually published.

GPs are asked to input data into the NHS Wales-built system as soon as possible but it then has to be verified and quality assured by Public Health Wales - to ensure people are not double-counted, for instance - before it is actually published.

So there is a built-in lag between what health bosses are seeing happening daily and when we see the figures.

One health official said they were under-reporting rather than leaving "any chance of over-reporting".

Ministers however, do have access to the "real time" data as soon as it is in the system so have an idea what is going on, on the ground.