The Welsh Government has released a statement this week on the Covid-19 Vaccine Strategy after the First Minister's decision to delay the use of the Pfizer vaccine was criticised by many.

The First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said one of the reasons more of the supply had not been used at once was to prevent "vaccinators standing around with nothing to do".

Mr. Drakeford also claimed that Wales falling behind England on vaccine rollout “isn’t the most important thing” and that the variation between Welsh and English rollout numbers showed “very marginal differences”.

The First Minister’s comments on the slowness of the Welsh vaccine roll-out have proved “very frustrating”, Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said.

“Wales appears now to be dramatically behind England in terms of vaccine rollout, so to see the First Minister being relaxed about the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out here is very, very frustrating,” remarked Plaid’s Shadow Minister for Health.

“The most recent data from both NHS England and Public Health Wales demonstrates that Wales is lagging way behind.

“Figures from January 17 show that more than 3.7 million doses have been administered in England - almost half a million of which being second dose.

“In Wales figures from 16 January show 126,504 vaccines administered, including only 129 second doses.

“Comparing population sizes, if Wales was vaccinating at the same rate we’d have hit around 190,000. Comparing Wales and England isn’t always useful – for various reasons, we’re ahead on some things, and England ahead on others – it’s swings and roundabouts. But where it’s a four-nations programme, we need to know it’s a level playing field.

“Welsh Government must give an update on vaccines made available for Wales – of each type – plus numbers vaccinated in Wales compared to England, using the different types of vaccine, and on the projected supply of vaccines in the weeks to come. Why are we rationing here?

“Transparency is crucial at this stage so that progress can be measured, and that both governments can be held accountable and questioned on progress where needed.”

The Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price MS, also demanded a “coherent, clear answer” to the question of why Wales lags behind the other UK nations when it comes to administering the vaccine.

Mr. Price revealed that his own parents – both over the age of 80 – have yet to hear when they’re going to get the vaccine and said that this was of particular concern since his father, an ex-miner with COPD, is classed as clinically vulnerable.

During Tuesday’s FMQs, the Plaid Cymru Leader quizzed whether the issue is that Wales has a higher proportion of people in the higher priority groups, and called on the First Minister to clarify whether Wales should be getting a higher share of vaccine based on need rather than population.

“My question is not unreasonable – I simply want to know why Wales is slower in vaccinating its population than the UK as a whole,” said Mr. Price.

“We’ve been told that supply is consistent across all four nations, but we’re yet to receive a coherent, clear answer as to what explains the gap.

“It’s a reasonable question, and if there is a problem, we can solve it.

“Once again, we return to the question of whether we should be getting a higher share of vaccine based on need. We know that Wales has a larger proportion of people in the higher priority groups, and so an initial delivery based on population rather than need may go some way to explaining why people like my parents are yet to receive a call.

“Communication really is key and I can’t stress this enough. People like my parents are genuinely worried and the lack of contact does nothing to restore their trust in the system,” he added.

Sam Kurtz, Conservative candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, also criticised the First Minister’s decision this week stating: “While other parts of the UK look to commence with 24-hour a day vaccination centres and are moving on to vaccinating younger age groups, here in Wales our vaccination rollout is deliberately being slowed.

“The First Minister is playing a dangerous game by holding back Pfizer vaccines. Surely the vaccine is better off being administered, protecting someone vulnerable, than sat waiting in a vial?

“This is not a political issue, it's a health issue. The First Minister must reconsider his decision immediately,” he added.

A statement from Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services on Tuesday (January 19) stated: “We are only a week on from publication of our national Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy and already we are seeing good progress.

“Members are aware of the priority groups. These have been agreed by endorsing the advice of the UK’s independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

“The same priority list is being followed by all four UK nations and has the support of all four Chief Medical Officers within the UK.

“Our first priority – milestone 1 in the Strategy – is to offer a first dose of the vaccine to priority groups 1 – 4. This will include all care home residents and staff; frontline health and social care staff; those 70 years of age and over; and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals.

“Subject to supply, we have said it is our ambition to do this by mid-February.

“In our Strategy, we outlined 3 markers we aimed to deliver on the journey to achieving milestone 1.

“I am pleased to report that the first of these markers has been achieved – all frontline Welsh Ambulance Service Trust staff have been offered their first dose. Setting us on the right track towards achieving our first milestone.

“Good progress is also being made towards having offered the vaccine to all care home residents and staff by the end of this month. We are currently vaccinating almost 1,000 care home residents a day. I will continue to report on progress in this respect,” continued Mr. Gething.

“Absolutely critical to the delivery of our Strategy is the ongoing building of our infrastructure. Our Strategy outlines the blended model in place.

“This is aimed at providing a mix of sites in order to maximise speed of roll out, ensure safety, meet the needs of the characteristics of the vaccines, be as conveniently located as possible and, importantly, make sure we give equitable access across the country and to all communities”

During the past week Mr. Gething stated that there has been further expansion in the Welsh Government’s infrastructure, including:

• another 4 mass vaccination centres come on stream, bringing the current total to 28, with a further 17 planned;

• GP practices offering the vaccine increase to over 100, with the expectation now that we will exceed the 250 practices committed to in our Strategy by the end of January;

• doses of vaccine delivered to health boards double, increasing from around 50,000 last week to over 100,000 this week; and

• the introduction of a community pharmacy pilot, with a pharmacy in North Wales becoming the first to begin immunising on-site.

“Last week, I further developed our blended model, by adding Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) to the suite of approaches. CVCs will bring together a range of primary care practitioners, including dentists and optometrists, offering a solution within local communities,” continued Mr. Gething.

“This development builds on the efforts already underway in GMS, and being piloted in community pharmacy, but with the capacity for greater scale than delivery via GP practices alone.

“I also want to update Members on plans for publication of information going forward.”

Mr. Gething said that from Thursday (January 21), Public Health Wales would start the process of publishing more granular surveillance data on numbers vaccinated.

“This will begin with a breakdown of those over 80 and those resident in care homes. Further breakdowns will be added as we move through the cohorts.

“In addition to this, Welsh Government statisticians will begin a regular publication of some of the more operational statistics attached to the programme.

“The first of these publications will be on Tuesday, January 26 and weekly thereafter. Data around vaccine supply and wastage will be included as part of this publication.

“Again, further data will be added as the programme progresses.

“From next Tuesday, we will also begin publishing a weekly update on progress against our National Strategy. This will reflect on progress and look ahead to the upcoming milestones.

“I want Members, and the public, to have access to the latest information on the vaccine programme and I hope these arrangements go some way to achieving that,” he added.