All over-50s in Wales offered Covid-19 vaccine by target date

SCOTLAND-HEALTH-VIRUS-POLITICS
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Leah Sinclair5 April 2021

All over-50s and at-risk adults in Wales have been offered a Covid-19 vaccine, the Welsh government has announced.

The government said it met its target after First Minister Mark Drakeford stated everyone in the top nine priority groups would be offered a first jab by Sunday.

"I can confirm that the second milestone has been achieved, all phase one priority groups have been offered a vaccine by the NHS," a Welsh government spokesman told the BBC.

"We are encouraging people in these priority groups who haven’t yet had a vaccine to contact their local health board to arrange it."

It comes as students in Wales are expected to return to school from April 12, Public Health Wales has said.

“On 12 April, all children will return to face to face education, all post-16 learners will return to further education, and training centres and university campuses will be able to open for blended face to face learning for all students,” they said in a statement.

All remaining shops will also reopen and close contact services including mobile services can resume.

Public Health Wales added that viewing wedding venues will also resume on this date and outdoor canvassing for elections can begin.

In addition, travel restrictions on travelling into and out of Wales will be lifted, after it became the first UK nation to lift travel restrictions within its borders last month.

However, the statement warned: “Restrictions on travel to countries outside the Common Travel Area (UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) without a reasonable excuse, remain in place.”

“This slight easing of Covid lockdown rules is encouraging, however, while the number of cases is declining overall, there are still several areas which have significantly higher rates.”

On Monday, Public Health Wales said 1,490,372 people had received a first dose of the vaccine, and 467,683 had had both doses and were fully vaccinated.

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