Covid: Wales' mass vaccination centres 'safe and efficient' - BBC News
Inspectors find dedicated and hard-working staff administering thousands of jabs at the sites.
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Vaccine centres in Wales have provided a "safe and efficient" environment for the roll-out of Covid-19 jabs, an inspection report has found.

It found "dedicated, hard-working staff" and only asked for minor improvements in some areas.

The watchdog's report comes as the number of people to have had a dose of the jab in Wales surpassed two million.

This month, Wales has also become the best in the world, for sizeable countries, for the percentage of first doses given to its total population.

Across Wales community halls, sports centres, a wedding venue and an indoor bowls centre were turned into vaccination centres, after jabs were approved.

Military medics, NHS staff and volunteers have administered thousands of doses of the vaccine every day at the sites, alongside GP surgeries and pharmacies.

However the health watchdog had been concerned the temporary nature of the centres, teamed with large numbers of people heading through them, could lead to potential safety risks.

Second doses of the vaccine being given in Caerphilly county

After inspecting eight sites in March, HIW found that despite the "unique environments", "appropriate arrangements" had been put in place by health boards.

Sites visited included the indoor bowls centre in Mountain Ash, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, and the Ysbyty Enfys temporary hospitals in Bangor, Gwynedd, and on Deeside.

More than 500 people who attended vaccination appointments were surveyed, with most stating they had an "excellent" experience, the report said.

The watchdog recommended a number of improvements, including better compliance with fire safety and evacuation procedures, and more regular checking of resuscitation equipment.

However health boards were "prompt and effective" at resolving these issues, the report added.

Alun Jones, the interim chief executive of HIW, told BBC Wales that "on the balance of evidence" patients were "receiving safe and efficient care during their visits to mass vaccination centres".

"The health boards themselves had very effective arrangements in place, overall, to provide oversight of those mass vaccination centres to ensure they were operating safely and efficiently," he added.

The report findings will be used to inform the further use of mass vaccination centres as the current vaccine roll-out continues, and for booster Covid vaccine programmes.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Public Health Wales' Dr Gill Richardson said a large take-up of the vaccination "just makes sure we're in the best position possible to face any new variants that come in".

She added: "We're probably going to be announcing in the autumn there'll be boosters for certain groups, so it's really important that people get their second dose."

Dr Richardson added that the flu vaccine would have an expanded programme this year, with even more people eligible, including secondary school children.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has previously not ruled out targeted vaccines in communities if cases of the Indian variant spiked.

Wales' Chief Medical Officer Dr Frank Atherton said there were now "around 57" confirmed cases of the variant of concern.

It comes as about 68% of the population in Wales have received a first dose of a vaccine.

Public Health Wales (PHW) figures show 1,019,230 people have had a second jab - 32.3% of the population.

The vaccine is now being rolled out to younger people, with almost half of young people aged over 18 or in their 20s having had a first Covid jab, latest figures show.

In Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan a walk-in centre is being opened at the former Toys 'R' Us store in Cardiff Bay, for people to get their first dose.