24 March 2021 - Hywel Dda vaccine bulletin - Issue 11
Welcome to issue 11 of Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Vaccine Bulletin.
This weekly update will provide the latest information regarding the progress of the COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Programme across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Yesterday, as the nation came together to pause and reflect on the past year, the 200,000th vaccine was administered in Hywel Dda UHB.
Just 15 weeks since our first vaccine was given to Dr Nicola Drake from Withybush Hospital’s A&E, 173,000 people in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire have now received their first dose of the vaccine, and 30,094 people are fully vaccinated having received both doses.
The uptake of the vaccine remains high and we believe at least 80% of each priority groups 1 to 9 will received their first vaccine dose by milestone 2 of the Welsh Government’s National Vaccination Strategy, an update of which can be viewed here (opens in new tab).
We will have offered a first dose of the vaccine to all those in priority groups 5-9 by Sunday 18 April. This includes:
- everyone aged 50 to 69
- everyone aged over 16 with an underlying health condition, which puts them at increased clinical risk of serious illness with COVID-19 – including some people with learning disabilities and with severe mental illness and those experiencing homelessness
- many invaluable unpaid carers who provide care for someone who is clinically vulnerable to COVID-19
Please be patient if you haven’t been contacted about your vaccine yet and we politely ask that you do not contact the health board or your GP to ask about your vaccine. You will be contacted when it is your turn.
Everyone in groups 5 to 9 should expect to receive their vaccine appointment by Easter Monday, 5 April.
To ensure no one is left behind, on Tuesday 6 April, the health board will launch an appeal asking people in groups 1 to 9 who have not been contacted to get in touch to arrange their first vaccine dose. This appeal will be shared on our social media channels, in local newspapers and on local radio stations.
When will I receive my second vaccine?
Second doses are essential for longer term protection, so it’s important that everyone comes forward for their full course when called.
When you will be contacted for your second vaccine dose depends on which vaccine you have received.
Care home, health and social care staff, people aged 75 to 79 and people who were shielding, received the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine at one of our mass vaccination centres and will be invited to receive their second dose before 12 April.
Care home residents, people aged over 80 and all other priority groups who have received the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine at the GP surgery will be contacted between 11 to 12 weeks following their first vaccine with an appointment time.
Please be assured that this is a safe and appropriate interval between both doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and early reports from Oxford University support a 12-week interval between doses for maximum vaccine efficacy.
Confidence is building around the effectiveness of the vaccines. Emerging evidence is clear on the impact of the vaccine in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation. That is now playing out in admissions to our hospitals, and thankfully, numbers of deaths from Coronavirus being reported.
UK and EU regulators have also been very clear in the last week about the safety of the vaccines. The benefits of vaccination outweigh any possible risks. The vaccines are both safe and effective.
Meinir shares her vaccine experience
Thank you to Pembrokeshire People First employee Meinir for sharing her experience of having the COVID vaccine. Pembrokeshire People First is an independent charity, run by and for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.
In this short video, Meinir shares why she feels it's important to have it and what to expect throughout the process*.
COVID-19 vaccine for people with a severe learning disability or severe mental illness easy read guide: An easy read guide to help people understand if they should get a COVID-19 vaccine, in priority group 6 (opens in new tab)
*Pembrokeshire’s mass vaccination centres are located at The Archives in Haverfordwest and at Tenby Leisure Centre. More information can be found about our mass vaccination centres here (opens in new tab)
| Priority Group | First dose vaccine numbers | First dose percentage uptake | Second dose vaccine numbers | Second dose percentage uptake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1.1 - Older adult resident in a care home | 2,489 | 96.4% | 630 | 24.2% |
| P1.2 - Care home worker | 3,275 | 93.7% | 2,265 | 64.8% |
| P2.1 - All those 80 years of age and over | 22,634 | 99.7% | 323 | 1.4% |
| P2.2 & 2.3 - Health and social care workers | 23,581 | 98.3% | 18,947 | 78.9% |
| P3 - All those 75 years of age and over  | 18,261 | 93.6% | 5,371 | 27.5% |
| P4.1 - All those 70 years of age | 24,688 | 93.9% | 238 | 0.9% |
| P4.2 - Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals  under 70 years of age | 8,430 | 85.1% | 198 | 2.0% |
| 5. All those 65 years of age and over | 21,137 | 88.5% | 85 | 0.4% |
| 6. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality (at risk groups) | 31,663 | 71% | 944 | 2.1% |
| 7. All those 60 years of age and over | 11,751 | 60.4% | 68 | 0.3% |
| 8. All those 55 years of age and over | 1,921 | 10.3% | 76 | 0.4% |
| 9. All those 50 years of age and over | 883 | 5.4% | 85 | 0.5% |
| Other priority groups or unallocated | 2,461 | 1.6% | 864 | 0.6% |
| Total: | 173,177 | 44.7% | 30,094 | 7.8% |
Please don’t contact your GP, pharmacy or health board to ask when you will receive the vaccine
This week, health services have been inundated with calls, emails and social media messages from the public enquiring about the vaccine. We understand people are anxious and want to know when they can have the vaccine. Please do not contact your GP, pharmacy or health board; you will be contacted when it is your turn. People will be invited to receive the vaccine in order of priority, so please be patient.