Newport's health board publishes plan for rolling out vaccine to over-50s

One health board has published details of its plan to begin vaccinating all remaining priority groups by the spring.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has announced that it hopes to begin inviting those patients in the remaining priority groups, which includes those over the age of 50, when the invitation process for current priority groups is completed.

The health board's "vaccination deployment plan" to administer doses to all individuals within priority groups across Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Monmouthshire is as follows:

• Age 80 & over - GP Practices
• Age 72-79 - Mass Vaccination Centres
• Age 70-71 - GP Practices
• Extremely clinically vulnerable - GP Practices
• Age 65-69 - Mass Vaccination Centres
• Age 60-64 Mass Vaccination Centres
• Age 55-59 - GP Practices
• Age 50-54 Mass Vaccination Centres
• Housebound - Mobile Teams

As of February 9, the health board is currently inviting anyone who falls within the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation's (JCVI) priority groups 1 - 4, i.e. people over the age of 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, for their jab.

This is a process the health board aims to complete by the middle of this month.

"The patients currently being offered the vaccination are those eligible within the JCVI group’s 1-4," said the health board.

"We expect to complete the invitation process for these groups by mid-February and we are working towards plans to invite those within the JCVI groups 5-9 by the spring."

However, it added that plans can change "at short notice" due to variable factors, including the vaccination supply available.

All health boards are following the advice from the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) when it comes to priority groups and have plans in place to vaccinate these groups in order of priority.

These priority groups are:

1. Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
2. Those aged 80 years and older plus frontline health and social care workers
3. Those aged between 75 and 79
4. Those 70 years of age and over, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. People aged 65 and over
6. People aged 16 to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
7. People aged 60 and over
8. People aged 55 and over
9. People aged 50 and over

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On Monday, February 8, Aneurin Bevan health board stated that it has administered a vaccination dose to 111,443 people within groups 1-4.

Currently, 27,013 people aged 80 and over have received a dose of the vaccine, as well as 18,538 frontline staff, 4,442 social care staff and 21,492 people aged 75-79.

Those patients who received the first dose of the vaccine between December 7 -20 will also be receiving a letter "in the next week or so" inviting them for their second dose, the health board has confirmed.