We are considering the details of today’s announcements by the MHRA and the JCVI but we do not envisage a delay to the roll out of our vaccine programme in Wales.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The Oxford AstraZeneca (OAZ) vaccine remains safe and effective and has already saved thousands of lives.
The Welsh Government, Public Health Wales and NHS Wales are working with other agencies to continually monitor vaccine safety and will keep this issue under close review. In Wales, people’s safety will always come first and we will only use vaccines where it is safe to do so and the benefits continue to outweigh the risks.
Vaccines are the best way out of this pandemic and provide strong protection against COVID-19 – it is important that when people are called forward, they should get their jab. To date, over 1.5 million people in Wales have received a first dose of vaccine and a further 475,000 have also received a second dose.
Everybody who has already had a first dose of the OAZ vaccine should be reassured that they can receive a second dose of the same brand, irrespective of age.