THE CONSERVATIVES’ Shadow Health Minister, Andrew RT Davies, fiercely criticised Mark Drakeford after the First Minister’s appearance on Radio Four’s Today programme.

The Conservatives have spent the last week ramping up the rhetoric over the Welsh Government’s alleged failings in Wales’ coronavirus vaccination programme.

On Friday (Jan 15), Mr Drakeford defended the Welsh Government’s track record.

The First Minister said that Wales had been provided with six weeks’ supply of the Pfizer vaccine.

It made more sense, he claimed, to administer the vaccine over six weeks to ensure vaccinations were delivered consistently.

It made no sense, Mr Drakeford continued, for all Pfizer vaccines to be used in a shorter period, leaving Wales without stocks.

Mark Drakeford said delivering the vaccine was ‘a marathon, not a sprint’.

On Monday morning (Jan 18), Mr Drakeford appeared on Radio Four’s flagship Today programme. He was asked about the Welsh Government’s vaccination programme.

The First Minister said: “The most important issue is that we are on track to deliver vaccination to all the top four priority groups by the middle of February.”

Mr Drakeford said Wales would meet that target.

“The thing that limits us at the moment is supply. We are using every bit of vaccine that we are getting. We know that the supply will be ramping up over the coming weeks. We are ready to use all the supply of vaccine that we will get in Wales, and on track to deliver to the top four priority groups.”

He said Wales was using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as soon as supplies were received.

However, he explained that the Welsh Government kept back thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine because its supply had to last until the beginning of February.

“We won’t get another delivery of that until the end of January, probably the beginning of February,” he said.

“We have to use that over those six weeks. It would be very damaging to try and use all of that in the first week, and then to have all our vaccinators standing around with nothing to do for another month.”

He was asked why Wales’ vaccination programme didn’t deliver the Pfizer vaccine to more people.

He replied: “The system we would have would not be in a position to then go on doing the job we need it to do over the weeks ahead.

“The sensible thing to do is to use the vaccine you have got, over the period you have got it for, so that your system can absorb it, and can go on working. We will use all the vaccine we have, in the time that we have it. As more comes on track, we will use that as well.”

Andrew RT Davies claimed the Welsh vaccination programme was ‘not fit for purpose’ and condemned Mr Drakeford for his ‘outburst of honesty’.

He could scarcely have been surprised by what Mr Drakeford said about the Welsh Government’s strategy. It was published last week and confirmed by the First Minister on Friday.

Had Mr Davies attended regular health briefings, as his predecessor Angela Burns did, his shock and outrage might have been diminished.

Andrew RT Davies continued in his familiar and similarly restrained style by claiming: “His shocking doubling-down on his decision to delay deployment of Pfizer vaccine supplies is dangerous, and makes no clinical sense whatsoever.

“We need to get these vaccinations into people’s arms ASAP.”

The Pfizer vaccine cannot be distributed through GP surgeries because it needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees centigrade.

Once a batch is opened, it must be quickly given. If it is not administered quickly, the vaccine is unusable.

The Welsh Government receives its stocks of vaccine from the UK Government. The UK Government distributes the vaccine based on population and not on need.

A quarter of the stocks of the much-easier to store and transport Oxford vaccine due to come to Wales have been delayed. 26,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine due to be sent to Wales
failed a quality test.

The Oxford vaccine can be stored safely in standard drug fridges and administered by GP surgeries.

Last week, Robert Street GP Surgery in Milford Haven said the delay in the Oxford vaccine’s delivery lay behind delays in its patients getting inoculated.