Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board working to double the number of booster vaccines in response to Omicron variant and are calling for more staff and volunteers to join them as they tackle this ‘monumental challenge’.
Ffion Johnstone – West Area Director – said: “This week marks 12 months since we began our COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
“In that time we have administered over 1.3m COVID-19 jabs from 353 different locations, including over half a million first and second doses and 222,775 boosters.
“That represents a potentially lifesaving jab being administered every 12 seconds over the course of a whole year.
“We simply could not have protected so many people so quickly without the incredible support of our staff, volunteers, partners and the general public.
“Following recent announcements by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) we now face the monumental challenge of doubling the number of people we vaccinate every week – from our current rate of around 25,000 to 30,000 per week to 50,000 to 60,000 by mid-January.
“Our teams are working incredibly hard to identify the additional vaccinators, support staff and facilities to make this happen.
“We are confident that we can meet the Welsh Government’s target of offering the booster vaccine to all those who are eligible by the end of January.”
How you will be invited for you booster
The Health Board are continuing to invite people by letter and/or text message in chronological order at least three months after the date the second dose was given.
If you are aged under 65 please be patient and don’t call the health board or your GP surgery – you will be invited as soon as it is your turn.
If you are aged 65 or over and haven’t yet received an appointment letter please be assured that we haven’t forgotten about you. The vast majority of those aged 65+ who haven’t yet received an appointment will be invited by letter and/or text message before the end of the month. However, if you have any concerns please call our COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004. The lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm.
By mid-January, 90 per cent of eligible adults aged 40+ will have received an appointment invitation. By the end of January all eligible adults aged 18+ will have been offered an appointment.
Once you receive an appointment, please prioritise it like any other urgent hospital appointment. Only contact us to reschedule if this is unavoidable as it may be some time before you are offered an alternative date.
We are also calling on employers to allow staff time off to attend COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Rescheduling appointments for people who are unable to get time off work can significantly slow down our efforts to protect people and make the best use of our resources.
We all need to work together to Keep Wales Safe this winter and employers across the region have an important role to play.
Supporting COVID-19 vaccination delivery
We’ve had an incredible response to our recent call for additional vaccinators, support staff and facilities.
Over the coming weeks, many GP Practices that took part in the initial rollout will begin administering booster jabs.
We’re also very pleased to welcome a number of community pharmacies to the programme – including 25 branches of Rowlands Pharmacy.
This will improve access to the vaccine for people who currently have to travel longer distances to get to a vaccination site.
Our existing COVID-19 vaccination sites will soon begin operating over longer hours, as newly recruited staff are deployed following comprehensive training.
Join our COVID-19 vaccination teams
We need more staff and volunteers to help meet the monumental challenge ahead of us.
We’re currently recruiting to the following permanent roles, with full time, part time and bank (as and when) hours available in clinics across North Wales:
Registered Vaccinators (Band 5 roles £25,654 – £31,533).
Unregistered Immunisers and Vaccinators Administrators (both Band 3 roles – £20,329 – £21,776).
People from non-clinical backgrounds are being encouraged to apply for Unregistered Immuniser and Vaccinator Administrator roles. No previous experience is required as comprehensive training will be provided.
If you’re interested in the above posts and would like to join our amazing team, please apply via the NHS jobs website.
If you’re interested in joining our amazing team of COVID-19 vaccination volunteers please email bcuhb.publicvolunteers@wales.nhs.uk
