7 April 2021 - Hywel Dda vaccine bulletin - Issue 13
Welcome to issue 13 of Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Vaccine Bulletin.
This weekly update provides the latest information regarding the progress of the COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Programme across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
Third COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Wales
Today (April 7 2021) marks another key milestone in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with the arrival of supplies of the Moderna vaccine. A third vaccine for use in Wales significantly adds to our defences in the face of coronavirus and will help to protect our most vulnerable.
Elle Taylor, an unpaid carer from Ammanford, became the first person in the UK to receive the vaccine Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen.
Speaking after receiving the vaccine, the 24-year-old, who works at a further education college, said: “I'm very excited and very happy.
“I'm an unpaid carer for my grandmother so it is very important to me that I get it, so I can care for her properly and safely.
“My grandmother has had her first dose and she is going for her second dose on Saturday.”
Ros Jervis, Director of Public Health for Hywel Dda University Health Board, added: “We’re delighted to be able to use the Moderna vaccine for deployment across west Wales.
“We will be using this new vaccine, alongside Oxford Astra-Zeneca, to continue the vaccine roll out to our communities in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
“We are incredibly lucky to have a third vaccine in Wales, with a long shelf life and the ability to be easily transported, to help deliver the vaccination programme to small clinics across our rural communities.”
Vaccine programme continues to make good progress
194,057 people in our three counties have now received their first dose of the vaccine, and 47,087 people are fully vaccinated having received both doses.
We will have offered a first dose of the vaccine to all those in priority groups 5-9 by Sunday 18 April.
To ensure no one is left behind, this week the health board has launched an appeal asking people in groups 1 to 9 who have not been contacted to get in touch to arrange their first vaccine dose.
If one or more of the following applies to you and you have not received your first vaccine appointment, please contact the health board on 0300 303 8322 or by email COVIDenquiries.hdd@wales.nhs.uk by Friday 16 April:
- are aged 50 or over
- are aged 16 to 64 and have underlying health conditions (opens in new tab) that put you at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality
- work in a care home or in health and social care in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire
- are the primary unpaid carer of an elderly or disabled adult who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality, or a child with severe neuro-disabilities
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.
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.
We are asking anyone who received the Pfizer vaccine and has not received a second vaccine appointment yet, to get in touch as soon as possible on 0300 303 8322. Please note our phone lines get very busy at times and you may have to wait for the call to be answered. You can also contact us by emailing your name and contact phone number to COVIDenquiries.hdd@wales.nhs.uk
The health board aims to complete all second Pfizer vaccine doses by week commencing Monday 12 April.
To check which vaccine you received, look at the card given to you when you received your first vaccine. It will say if you received either the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine, or the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
If you received a first vaccine dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, we politely ask that you do not contact your GP practice or health board at this time to ask about a second vaccine appointment. You will be contacted when it is your turn for a second dose – we are calling those who received a Pfizer first dose at this time.
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.
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 about the safety of the vaccines. The benefits of vaccination outweigh any possible risks. All three vaccines are both safe and effective.
| 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% | 1,397 | 54.1% |
| P1.2 - Care home worker | 3,359 | 96.1% | 2,534 | 72.5% |
| P2.1 - All those 80 years of age and over | 22,704 | 100.0% | 2,814 | 12.4% |
| P2.2 & 2.3 - Health and social care workers | 24,655 | 98.6% | 20,114 | 80.5% |
| P3 - All those 75 years of age and over  | 18,349 | 94.0% | 14,790 | 75.8% |
| P4.1 - All those 70 years of age | 24,769 | 94.2% | 538 | 2.0% |
| P4.2 - Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals  under 70 years of age | 8,521 | 86.0% | 1,742 | 17.6% |
| 5. All those 65 years of age and over | 21,315 | 89.3% | 246 | 1.0% |
| 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) | 35,865 | 80.4% | 1,334 | 3.0% |
| 7. All those 60 years of age and over | 12,915 | 66.4% | 182 | 0.9% |
| 8. All those 55 years of age and over | 13,207 | 71.0% | 175 | 0.9% |
| 9. All those 50 years of age and over | 2,106 | 13.0% | 189 | 1.2% |
| Other priority groups or unallocated | 3,801 | 2.5% | 1,032 | 0.7% |
| Total: | 194,057 | 50.1% | 47,087 | 12.2% |
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.