A Welsh health board has apologised after sending people letters confirming Covid-19 booster vaccination appointments with one key piece of information missing - the date.
Hywel Dda University Health Board - which manages healthcare across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion - started issuing letters to residents last week, offering them the opportunity to attend a vaccination centre to receive their 3rd (or booster) jab.
Many people have complained however that their letters contained a venue for the vaccination, and a time of day, but not the day itself.
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One woman posted on social media that she was “chuffed” to get her letter on Friday, only to read it and realise there was no date on it. She said she was “anxious and concerned that she might now miss her appointment” and asked the heath board: “Who is responsible for this incompetence? What a mess.”
Others complained that the phone number for queries printed on the letter was not working, as people inundated the helpline with calls to try to confirm when their booster appointment was pencilled in for.
One woman who received a letter asked: “How many got sent out with the same time but no date I wonder? Seems like they really do not know what they are doing. Nobody answers the phones and two days later still no reply to emails.”
Another woman said that she tried to call the helpline after receiving a letter with no date included but was “cut off due to the high volume of calls” before adding “no wonder people lose their rag!”
The frustration felt by many is amplified due to the fact that Hywel Dda last week cancelled booster jab walk-in sessions on safety grounds after hundreds of people queued for hours to receive their vaccinations. The health board said there was a “significantly greater than expected volume of walk-ins” and as a result the sessions were stopped "in order to maintain the safety around the site and on highways”. You can read more about that here.
According to the latest figures published by Public Health Wales, more than 617,000 doses of a Covid jab (first, second and booster) have been administered in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
The latest seven-day infection rates across the three counties remain relatively high. The rate in Carmarthenshire (for the seven days up to October 25) is 564.7, in Ceredigion it is 575.0, while in Pembrokeshire it is higher still at 764.6. Two months ago at the end of August the rate in both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion was below 300, while in Pembrokeshire it was just above 400.
Pembrokeshire currently has one of the highest positive testing proportions in Wales at 25.6%. That means that more than a quarter of people being tested in the county are receiving positive results.
Questions have been put to Hywel Dda University Health Board on Monday morning about the circumstances surrounding the error on the booster jab letters, and how many in total have been sent out. They have not commented specifically as of yet but have apologised for the mishap.
A spokesman for the health board said: “We are aware some appointment letters have arrived with some information missing. We have been informed by the appointments team that these are being reissued and will arrive early this week in time for your appointment. Please accept our apologies for any confusion.”
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