Covid: Learning disability vaccine change 'best news ever'

A change to prioritise people on the GP learning disability register for a Covid vaccine is "the best news ever", the mother of a 35-year-old man who needs round-the-clock care says.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething also confirmed people with mental illnesses which cause functional impairment will join priority group six.

It follows new advice from the joint committee on vaccination (JCVI).

Angelika Monks from Anglesey said she was "so relieved" for her son Steven.

She has not been able to see him in person since Christmas Day, when they had to remain 2m apart, but speaks to him daily on video conferencing.

"Once the vaccine is done, then we can actually start seeing him again - it is just such a great deal," she told Claire Summers on BBC Radio Wales.

"My son has cerebral palsy, severe learning difficulties and a rare form of epilepsy, where every noise can set off the seizure, so he has multiple seizures during the day...

"He needs 24-hour care and it would have been impossible to look after him in the hospital should he contract coronavirus.

"So I was very, very concerned about this - yesterday I was glued to the television and it was the best news ever...

"I was so relieved I just couldn't believe it."

Officials have said they are taking an "inclusion" approach in identifying those who should be called forward, and they expect this to result in more individuals being prioritised than might otherwise be the case if the JCVI guidance was strictly interpreted.

The guidance recommends using GP surgeries rather than mass vaccination centres to administer the vaccines.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Gething said: "Today really is good news and I hope we will give people lots of comfort that they can expect to be receiving those appointments in the very near future."

Mr Gething is responsible for the vaccination rollout in Wales while the UK government purchases the jabs.

The charity Mencap said everyone with a learning disability should check they are on the register and, if not, ask to go on it.

People with a "severe or profound" learning disability in Wales and England were already in priority group six for the coronavirus vaccine, along with unpaid carers for those with disabilities and older people.