Thank you very much for contacting me about vaccination priority groups and prioritisation for kinship carers.
I know this has been an incredibly difficult and worrying time for kinship carers, whose role in providing care for children and young people has often been ignored by the Welsh Labour-led Government, even before the pandemic. I’d like to assure you that the Welsh Conservatives are fully aware of the commitment grandparents and kinship carers have made during the pandemic, and the vital contributions they make.
I understand that the vaccine is being prioritised according to clinical need and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have set out guidance on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination. The Committee considered evidence on the risk of exposure and mortality and I am pleased that all individuals aged over 50 will be eligible for vaccination within the first phase of the programme. In addition, all those aged 16 and above with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality will be eligible for vaccination within phase 1 of the programme.
As far as I am aware, the JCVI’s advice is also to offer vaccinations to the clinically extremely vulnerable alongside those who are over 70, and I understand that the Welsh Government’s target to vaccinate all of these by mid-February is being met. Furthermore, I note that the Welsh Government’s target for over 50s vaccination is to ensure they are vaccinated by Spring. Rest assured, my colleagues and I in the Welsh Conservatives will be monitoring the Welsh Government’s progress closely.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.
