Age-based approach is ‘simplest, quickest and fairest’ way to inoculate the population
WALES’s Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that individual jobs will not be prioritised to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
There have been pleas in recent weeks for occupations such as teachers and police officers to be given the vaccine as their roles are high contact.
However, speaking at today’s Welsh Government press conference, Dr Frank Atherton said that following advice from the UK’s independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the age-based plan for prioritisation would continue.
“This is the simplest, quickest and fairest approach,” Dr Atherton said. “It means we can remain on track to meet our ambitious vaccination targets. The most important thing is to continue the vaccine roll-out at pace. Age is the single factor which has the strongest link to deaths and hospitalisations.
“The JCVI did look at prioritising certain occupations. However, it found there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support any specific occupational group. It also advised that adding complexity by going down an occupational route would slow down the pace of the vaccination.”
However, the National Association Head Teachers Cymru has called upon the Welsh Government to take a different view and prioritise school staff for vaccinations.
Children aged three to seven went back to schools in Wales on Monday, while the Welsh Government is aiming for all face-to-face primary school teaching to return from March 15.
Laura Doel, Director of NAHT Cymru said: “Our education workforce is being relied upon to lead Wales out of the pandemic. They are being required to work with large groups of people who carry at least as much potential for infection as anyone else. Those groups often occupy confined and unventilated spaces for long periods of time with only rudimentary PPE.
“The fact that it may have added some complexity to roll out according to the JCVI is not a good enough reason not to prioritise the needs of committed professionals. A sick teacher is a teacher away from class which will mean further disruption to a pupil’s education and could well mean that they may need to be educated from home again.
Today Public Health Wales revealed that 902,334 people in Wales have now had their first dose of the vaccine, while Dr Atherton said he hoped that the country would reach the one million milestone by the end of tomorrow.
In an update to their National Vaccination Strategy, the Welsh Government say they are aiming to offer the vaccine to all current priority groups by mid-April. That includes all those over 50, people living in a care home for older adults, their staff carers, and frontline health and social care workers.
People aged 40 to 49 will then be the next group to be offered the vaccine.
Dr Atherton said: “Vaccination is safe, effective and is essential to our route out of lockdown and to a brighter future. We encourage everyone who is eligible to take up their offer when it is their turn.”
