People under the age of 30 will be offered a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of some older people in North Wales.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Trust (BCUHB) said the change in policy was the result of advice recommending that under-30s are offered an alternative Covid vaccine to the AstraZeneca jab.
A review by the UK drugs regulator found that by the end of March 79 people had suffered rare blood clots – 19 of whom had died – out of 20m AstraZeneca jabs administered.
As a result, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said healthy people aged 18-29 years should have the option of a different jab if one is available in their area.
Gill Harris, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “By the end of this week, more than half a million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will been administered across North Wales. This is a significant achievement and I would like to thank everyone involved in the programme for their hard work, as well as the general public for their patience and understanding.
“Having offered the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone over the age of 50, we have begun sending invitations to the remaining adult population.
“The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recommended that under-30s in the UK are offered an alternative Covid vaccine to the AstraZeneca jab.
“To ensure age groups within the remainder of the adult population receive the most clinically appropriate vaccines, we will be sending appointment invitations based on our delivery of vaccines from now until the end of July.
“This will mean that some people aged 18-29 may be offered vaccination earlier than some older individuals.”
A statement on the Clwstwr Arfon Cluster Facebook Page said: “Due to the recent changes in the JCVI/ MHRA guidance, individuals aged 18-30 will now be offered the Pfizer vaccine, and those aged 30 and above will be offered the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“The supply of the Pfizer vaccine into the area is intermittent, and because of this, individuals aged 28 and 29 have been invited for their vaccine this week in order to use up the Pfizer supply currently available at Ysbyty Enfys.
“The remaining individuals in their 40’s will then be invited for their vaccination from next week onwards.
“If the vaccine supply allows, the aim is for all individuals in cohort 10 to be invited for their first vaccination by the end of May.”
Vaccine Concerns
Patients that have concerns about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine are advised to still attend their appointment and concerns can be discussed with health care staff before you make a decision on whether or not to go ahead with vaccination.
If you receive an invitation for an appointment but are sure that you do not wish to be vaccinated then patients are asked to let the Health Board know, so they can offer that appointment to somebody else.
Vaccine invitations are sent out to everyone registered with the NHS, instead of asking individuals to take the initiative to book themselves, as it proves more effective and achieves high coverage.
In Priority Group 1-9 and not received an invite?
BCUHB have contacted those in Priority Groups 1 to 9 to invite them for vaccination, but they are aware that a small number of people may have been missed, possibly because the contact information is incorrect.
Those who have not yet been able to take up an appointment are asked to complete an online form. They will then be sent an appointment letter in the post. https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/covid-vaccination-50-and-over/
Moderna Vaccine
The Moderna vaccine is in the very early stages of rollout across the UK. The first vaccines are expected to be available in North Wales from late June onwards.
