Covid: Calls for Conwy cluster 'fast-track' second jab

There are 35 confirmed cases of the variant in the Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Penrhyn Bay area

Calls to "fast-track" second vaccine doses in Conwy have been made amid "serious concerns" over a Covid variant cluster.

There are now 35 cases of the Delta variant in Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Penrhyn Bay.

Llanwrst councillor Aaron Wynne said the ministers must act urgently to "stem the spread".

The Welsh government said local teams could already bring forward second jabs in areas of risk.

Any decision to fast track second doses would be made by the area's Incident Management Teams, including public health officials and the local health board, and would not need ministerial approval.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Wynne said: "It is a concern for us locally here in Conwy that we are now near the top of the table for new coronavirus cases in Wales.

"It's now increasingly obvious that the Delta variant, or the Indian variant, is the new dominant Covid variant in Conwy at this time."

He added that an "extremely busy" bank holiday weekend had raised concerns cases of the variant could spread further.

"If we can quickly administer the second dose to residents in Conwy, [it would] not only offer locals protection against this new variant, but hopefully it will stem the spread of coronavirus in the community without us having to go back to those restrictions," he said.

"There is a window when it's best to receive your second dose, but having a second dose is better than only just having your first.

"At the moment the health board is vaccinating people across north Wales - still giving some people their first jab - but as we're now seeing that cluster in Llandudno, I think it would be wise for the Welsh government to review possibly giving people in Conwy their second dose quicker."

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On Wednesday, health minister Eluned Morgan said the rise in cases of the variant was "very serious", and that this could hamper plans for further easing of restrictions in Wales.

"This is becoming very serious, we need to make sure that we try and nip this in the bud in that particular area and obviously all of this will play into how we assess the situation on Friday," Baroness Morgan said.

"I don't think we'd define it quite yet as community transmission, but it's on its way to becoming that and that's why we really need people in the area to co-operate with us… to make sure that we can try and suppress this particular variant."

"The last thing we want to see is this spreading across the whole of Wales," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Across the UK, 12,431 cases of the variant have now been confirmed, of which 97 are in Wales.

This is up 67% compared with last week.

In England there are now 10,797 cases, up 75% in a week, with 26 in Northern Ireland - up 37% - and 1,511 in Scotland, a rise of 115% in a week.

People in Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Penrhyn Bay have been urged to get tested, even if they do not have symptoms.

Betsi Cadwaladr health board has asked people without symptoms to get a lateral flow test at a mobile unit at Ysgol Awel y Mynydd in Llandudno Junction.

Those in the area who do have symptoms have been asked to attend Conwy Business Centre for a more accurate PCR test.

'A crucial 24 hours'

A mobile test centre has been set up in the business centre in Llandudno Junction

Gareth Davies, MS for the Vale of Clwyd, told BBC Radio Wales the Conwy cluster was "very concerning" but that "on a UK level it's relatively low".

"We've got to be cautious of it, the testing facilities are there," he said, after residents in Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Penrhyn Bay were urged to get a Covid test, whether they had symptoms or not.

"A collective effort to try and nip it in the bud is going to be the best way of getting it sorted.

"Hopefully it can stay in one area and not spread across north Wales."

He added that enforcing local restrictions was "a fine balance".

'Businesses have struggled'

"That area of Llandudno... is an area that relies heavily on hospitality," he continued.

"There are a lot of tourism and businesses that have struggled in that area.

"I think it's a balance of getting it right and the Welsh government have got some big decisions to make in the next 24 hours that are going to not only effect the numbers of the virus but also the livelihoods of a lot of business that have just been able to open.

"It's going to be a crucial 24 hours for the Welsh government."

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Local public health teams are able to bring forward and prioritise second doses of the vaccine to areas of risk, if they feel this is appropriate.

"Public Health teams across Wales are doing an excellent job in tracing, testing and promoting vaccinations with the aim of stopping and slowing the spread of the virus."