THE health board has confirmed the Pfizer vaccine will be deliver to those under the age of 30 and the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to those aged between 30 and 49.

In their latest update, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) said that to ensure their vaccine supply is administered as quickly as it is received, they will continue to run two streams for those aged 18-49.

Gill Harris, executive director of Nursing and Midwifery, said: "We are adopting this pragmatic approach to ensure vaccines are not left for long periods unused.

"Those aged under 30 who have already received a first dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for health reasons will continue to receive a second dose of the same vaccine at the due time, as there have been no serious adverse events attributed to second doses of the Oxford vaccine.

"This is all consistent with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

"If you have any concerns about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, please still attend your appointment so we can take the time to discuss these with you before you make a decision on whether or not to go ahead with vaccination."

Vaccination progress as at April 19 2021:

  • 527,277 total vaccinations have been administered in North Wales
  • First dose vaccines – 375,467
  • Second dose vaccines – 151,810
  • Percentage of people in Priority Groups who have received a first dose:
  • People aged 65 to 69: 93 per cent
  • People aged 16 to 64 in an at risk group: 83 per cent
  • People aged 60 to 64: 87 per cent
  • People aged 55-59: 84 per cent
  • People aged 50-54: 81 per cent
  • People aged 40-49: 29 per cent
  • People aged 30-39: 6 per cent
  • People aged 18-29: 6 per cent

This week, BCUHB is continuing to provide vaccination to the following groups, with invitations made by letter, text message and phone call:

  • People aged 50-69 and those aged 16-64 with certain underlying health conditions (Priority Groups 5-9)
  • People aged 18-49 years (Priority Group 10)

Advice for those who haven’t yet received an invitation

People in the following groups who have not yet been able to take up an appointment are asked to complete our online form. We will then send out an appointment letter in the post.

Complete the form if you are:

  • A person over 16 who lives with individuals with severely weakened immune systems
  • Aged 50 or over and not received an invite
  • Aged 16 years to 64 years with certain underlying health conditions
  • An paid carers who are unknown to BCUHB

Anyone unable to access the internet, is asked to contact the Covid-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004. The lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 1pm.

BCUHB is currently contacting people aged 40-49 directly with an appointment to receive a first Covid-19 vaccine.

Only contact the health board if you wish to rearrange or cancel an appointment once received.

Anyone aged 18-39 is asked to be patient.

Covid-19 Vaccination Contact Centre

The Covid-19 Vaccination Contact Centre continues to receive a high volume of calls.

Ms Harris said: "We are aware that people are sometimes waiting much longer than we would like to get through.

"We are working hard to create additional capacity within the contact centre and we continue to ask people to be patient.

"Please help us to help you by only calling our Covid-19 Vaccination Contact Centre for the following reasons: You have been invited to contact us to cancel or amend an appointment; you are in one of the groups described above and haven’t yet been able to take up a first appointment, and you are unable to access the internet to complete our online form (you will have your contact details taken and will receive a call back to book an appointment)."

Vaccination centre locations

"We are currently exploring how we can administer the Pfizer vaccine through a combination of GP cluster led clinics and health board led Local Vaccination Centres, while continuing to meet the vaccine’s strict handling and storage requirements," Ms Harris said.

"We hope that this will increase flexibility for people under the age of 30 who live in rural areas and cannot easily travel to our Mass Vaccination Centres.

"Further details will be shared through this weekly update once confirmed."