Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB hits COVID-19 vaccination target
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board has achieved its target of giving 104,148* vaccines to the top four priority groups.
From today (February 15) phase two of the programme begins, as Cwm Taf Morgannwg will aim to offer a first dose vaccine to approximately 120,000 people who are in groups 5 to 9** by the end of April.
Running simultaneously to this, CTM’s vaccination teams and primary care colleagues will be giving second doses to residents and staff in older adult care homes, frontline health and social care workers, all of the over 70s and clinically extremely vulnerable patients.
GPs will be contacting group 5 (all those who are 65 and over) to offer them a vaccine appointment at their local surgery.
Once group 5 is finished, GPs and Cwm Taf Morgannwg will move straight on to group 6, and do the same for them. Group 6 is defined as ‘all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk’.
Once groups 5 and 6 are complete, GPs will move onto offering second dose appointments for the over 75s and their clinically extremely vulnerable patients.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s mobile vaccination teams are already back out revisiting care homes for older adults and offering residents and staff their second doses.
The health board’s four existing community vaccination centres are being paused from tomorrow, February 16. This was planned, as during this period work will begin on opening three additional community vaccination centres (CVCs) taking the total across Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB to seven.
It has always been the Health Board’s intention to bring the vaccine closer to people’s homes, and the seven CVCs will do that. Opening from March 1, they will be in Bridgend, Maesteg, Ystrad (Rhondda), Mountain Ash, Llantrisant, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberfan (the Aberfan CVC will open at the end of March). Once Abercynon closes today, February 15, it will not reopen. If you had your first dose at Abercynon, and already have a second appointment, you will receive a letter letting you know which CVC to attend.
These seven will begin by administering the second dose to frontline social care workers and the 70 to 74 year olds who all went to a CVC for their first dose.
When those groups have been completed, the CVCs will then begin to vaccinate groups 7, 8 and 9 which is all those aged 50 and over.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s frontline staff will be receiving their second dose in the hospital vaccination centres where they had their first.
It is the health board’s new target to complete all nine groups by the end of April.
As phase two of the programme begins, there will still be a small number of people in groups 1 to 4 that CTM has been unable to contact and would like them to be offered a vaccine appointment.
If you are one of those people, or related to someone in those groups, or know someone, maybe a friend or neighbour, then please head to Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB’s website (link: COVID-19 Vaccine Information – Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board ). Click on the link to fill in a contact us form. Please select which group you, or the person you are filling it in on their behalf, are in: 1, 2, 3 or 4. Within five days of filling out the form, you will be contacted and offered an appointment at one of a number of extra clinics being held across Cwm Taf Morgannwg.
For clarification, clinically extremely vulnerable individuals in group 4 (sometimes referred to as CEV) will have had an official shielding letter from Wales’ Chief Medical Officer at some point during the pandemic.
For people who have gone for an appointment and been told by a vaccinator they cannot have the Pfizer jab due to a potential reaction, you will be contacted by the health board and asked to attend a special clinic with the next fortnight.
For a detailed breakdown of the definitions of each priority group 1-9 please follow this link: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation: advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, 30 December 2020 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This also defines what underlying illnesses would put a person in group 6.
*Total number of vaccines administered at 00:01AM Monday, February 15 is 106,496 of which 2,348 are second doses. This means 104,148 people in groups 1 to 4 have received their first dose of vaccine.
**Public Health Wales’ summary of groups 1 to 9 is below:
