FURTHER milestones in the fight against coronavirus in Powys have been made this week with 125,000 vaccination doses being reached.

More than three quarters of the adult Powys population have already received their first dose, while nearly a third of the adult population in Powys has received their second dose. This means that Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has exceeded their goal to offer everyone aged 50+ their first dose by the middle of April – while over 12,000 people under 50 have already had the vaccine.

PTHB are also continuing with our daily updates on our website but have now moved to a fortnightly edition of this bulletin.

Here are some of the key headlines this week from the health board:

• Across the UK we continue to be affected by the expected period of reduced supplies. This does mean that we are providing first doses at a slower pace than the peak we saw earlier this month, but second doses are not affected

• Anyone aged 40 and over can use our priority access form to let us know if you have not received your first dose, and our team will fast-track you to an appointment

• Anyone aged 30-39 can join our reserve list, and there is also a secondary reserve list for people aged 18-29

• If you receive an invitation and wish to decline vaccination, or wish to cancel the appointment you have been offered and arrange a new one, then please let us know by contacting the booking hub (the telephone number is in your letter) or by using our online form

• You can find detailed information about the current position and next steps for each Priority Group on our website, including how to contact us if you are a frontline health and care worker, unpaid carer, or have underlying health conditions

• We are following the very latest guidance on AstraZeneca. There was an update in our last newsletter and we now also have a dedicated page on our website with the latest FAQs and links to more detailed information. Based on national guidance people aged 18-29 should be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca if available – so this does mean that you may see 18-29 called from the reserve list if Pfizer slots become available

• With updated guidance now available from the JCVI on vaccination pregnancy we also have a dedicated section of our website for pregnant women

• Second dose appointments are not affected by the change in supplies. Already, nearly a third of the adult population in Powys has received their second dose. If you do not receive an invitation for a second dose appointment 11-12 weeks after your first dose then you can contact us and we will fast-track you to an appointment

• More than 94 per cent of people in Priority Groups 1-9 have already received their first dose, and over 40 per cent have double dose protection. This also means that nearly 75 per cent of the total adult population in Powys have had their first vaccination. The graph below shows the overall uptake in the county

Covid-19 in Powys

Covid-19 in Powys