HEALTH minister Vaughan Gething has downplayed concerns Wales could fall behind in a future coronavirus vaccination programme.

The UK government is responsible for arranging vaccines for the whole UK, but it will be up to Wales to decide how a vaccine programme would be rolled out, he said.

Plaid MS Rhun ap Iorwerth said there was “growing optimism” a Covid-19 vaccine would be available in the near future, but asked Mr Gething if Wales’ policy was to “leave things largely to the UK government when it comes to vaccination”.

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In the Senedd on Wednesday, the Plaid MS asked if the Welsh Government was “afraid of taking as much control as you possibly could” over the vaccine programme.

“There's a danger that Wales, by not taking the bull by the horns as much as you possibly could, might be in a position where you can't press ahead with a programme as quickly as other parts of the UK,” he added.

Mr Gething disputed that, saying the UK Government would obtain vaccines on behalf of the whole UK and then give a share to Wales based on population.

He said there was “nothing unusual” in that approach, which is the same as in Scotland and Northern Ireland and replicates how flu jabs are obtained and distributed in the UK.

“While I can and will continue, no doubt, to be sharply critical of the UK government where I disagree with them – on the issue of the procurement and supply of vaccines, I just don't think there are grounds to suggest that the UK government would somehow advantage one part of the UK over another,” Mr Gething told the Senedd.

Conservative MS Nick Ramsay asked the health minister how the Welsh Government would cope with the “enormous demand” for a vaccine, and how the most vulnerable people would be prioritised.

“There have been conversations led by the chief medical officer's department, as you'd expect, with the different parts of our healthcare services about how a vaccination programme would be delivered,” Mr Gething said. “In terms of your point about priorities, we again will have UK advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation about how to prioritise vulnerable groups.

“It won't be the case that we'll have competing demands from professional groups about why they should be at the head of the queue compared to others; it's about which vulnerable groups in our society are likely to gain the greatest benefit.”