With Easter Weekend passing and the days getting longer, I have certainly felt a sense of cautious optimism for the remainder of the year. Whilst there is still a way to go in overcoming the many challenges which Covid-19 has imposed upon us over the past 12 months, I am pleased that normality is slowly starting to return to our lives. The herculean task of vaccinating the entire population continues at a great pace, and I am very much in awe at the rollout’s progress across the UK with nearly 60% of the adult population now having received their first dose. The news is even more positive in Powys which reached the amazing milestone of 100,000 vaccinations last week, with over 60% of Powys residents now vaccinated. This has been a huge effort, and I praise the fantastic work that continues to be carried out by Powys Teaching Health Board, Powys County Council and the many volunteers helping with the rollout.
Easter weekend (April 3/4) – 4
The national picture: There have been no recorded deaths in Wales due to the virus today – meaning the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Wales since the pandemic remains at 5,528. There have now been 210,344 reported confirmed cases in Wales, with 130 new cases reported today. 1,556,316 people nationwide have received a first dose of the vaccine, while more than 500,000 have received both jabs. There has been one case in Wales of a person developing a rare blood clot after having the AstraZeneca jab, the head of the vaccine rollout has said. Dr Richard Roberts confirmed there had been one firm case but no deaths. The UK s medicines regulator has said under-30s should be offered an alternative Covid jab due to evidence linking it to blood clots.
THE vaccination process in Powys continues to move ahead at an unerring pace – with more than two thirds of the county’s adult population having now had their first jab. A staggering 93 per cent of people in the highest priority groups have been given an initial dose, contributing to nearly 108,000 total doses so far. “We have now delivered nearly 108,000 vaccine doses through the Powys Teaching Health Board Covid-19 vaccination programme,” the health board said in a statement on their website this morning (April 10). “This includes over 81,300 first doses and over 26,600 second doses. “Ninety three per cent of people in Priority Groups 1-9 in Powys have received their first dose, and nearly a third (32 per cent) have already received double-dose protection.