Written question WQ84869

On March 10, I published a written statement, to alert Members to the fact that the Shielding Patient List would be closing on 31 March 2022.

Following this announcement, the Chief Medical Officer wrote to all those people on the Shielding Patient List, with specific information about vaccinations and treatments for Covid-19.

While we have seen infections rise in a series of pandemic waves over the last two years, recent data indicates fewer people have become seriously ill and needed hospital care, compared to figures at the start of the pandemic. This is largely due to the success of the vaccination programme, which has weakened the link between the virus and serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

In addition to the delivery of the primary two-dose course of the vaccine, some adults and children aged 12 and over who have a severely weakened immune system at the time of their initial vaccination and may not have generated a full immune response to the first two doses, have been offered a third primary Covid-19 vaccine dose to help increase the level of protection.

This group has also been offered a booster vaccination. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recently recommended a second spring booster to all those people, aged 12 years and over, who are immunosuppressed. Invitations being sent out now by health boards.

In addition to the protection from vaccinations, from December 2021, the NHS in Wales has been making new treatments for Covid-19 available to those people who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Letters were issued in February to those who may be eligible for treatment if they test positive for Covid-19 following reporting a lateral flow test result online or by calling 119, or receiving the result of a PCR test. These treatments need to be given within five days of symptoms and can help manage Covid-19 symptoms and reduce the risk of individuals becoming seriously unwell. For those who are eligible and test positive, the National Antiviral Service or health board will contact them by SMS message or telephone after their test result has been reported. They will then arrange an appointment with a healthcare professional who will decide whether the treatment is suitable for them and which treatment is the most suitable.

People who are immunosuppressed may receive personal advice from their doctor or clinician on the precautions they should continue to be taking. We would also encourage people to have conversations with their employer if they are required to take specific precautions at their workplace following the advice from their doctor or clinician.

Guidance and information to help protect people who have been identified as extremely vulnerable is available at: https://gov.wales/guidance-protecting-people-defined-medical-grounds-clinically-extremely-vulnerable-coronavirus