The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy and the Welsh Conservative Older People’s Champion – Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has today (22 January) spoken of her alarm at the revelation that  just under a quarter of over 80s in Wales have been given their first dose of Coronavirus vaccine.  

Figures from Public Health Wales show that there has been 43,879 doses - which is 23.9% of this priority group - for the Covid-19 jab. Mrs Finch-Saunders is calling on the Welsh Health Minister to urgently clarify comments made in the Senedd earlier this week, when he claimed that “we have already managed to do so for the majority of our over-80s population.” 

On Wednesday, in a question to the Minister for Mental Health, Janet urged the administration to adhere to their original vaccination timescales as a means of confronting poor mental health amongst elderly residents. In an effort to confront rising anxiety on a local level, the Member has also called for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to ramp up efforts to communicate with residents about the vaccination roll out. 

Commenting on the concerning figures, Janet said:  

“I am incredibly concerned by this latest statistical blunder by the Welsh Health Minister, which can only suggest that he is failing to keep a grip on these essential details. Mr Gething must now make an urgent statement to clarify these numbers and, if necessary, correct the Senedd record. 

“Since the early days of the pandemic we have known that those aged 70 or older, regardless of medical conditions, are at increased risk from COVID-19. It is essential that this vulnerable group is urgently prioritised, with the Covid vaccination roll-out sustained at pace. This has once again highlighted the importance of appointing an individual whose sole focus is on the vaccine rollout in Wales.  

“The anxiety and fear felt by many individuals in this age bracket, both in my constituency of Aberconwy and beyond, is palpable and I have long said that our single biggest weapon providing assurance to our most vulnerable constituents is a quick vaccination process.

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

• In Tuesday’s plenary meeting of the Senedd, in response to Andrew RT Davies, Labour’s health minister claimed that his “current understanding is that we have already managed to do so for the majority of our over-80s population.”
• On Wednesday, Janet raised the issue of mental well-being and the Coronavirus vaccination roll-out with the Minister responsible. You can find more information on this question by clicking here. 
• Yesterday, Janet has called for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to ramp up efforts to communicate with residents about the vaccination roll out. You can find out more about this call by clicking here. 
• The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board say that it did initially prioritise distribution of vaccines to those practices who had the greatest number of patients aged over 80 and patients in care homes. All 98 GP practices in North Wales are now part of the vaccination programme. According to a recent update, most GP practices in the area have already started administering the vaccines and the rest will come online in the coming days.

Photo: Daniel Schludi on Unsplash