The first people to get the coronavirus vaccine in Wales will get the jab on Tuesday, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved by regulators on Wednesday and supplies have already started to arrive in the UK.

Front-line NHS staff and the over 80s are at the top of the list for the vaccine.

Care home residents are also among those identified as a priority.

It comes as new rules stopping pubs, restaurants and cafes serving alcohol on the premises come into force at 18:00 GMT on Friday.

Meanwhile, the first minister confirmed a single person, single parent or someone with caring responsibilities can join a bubble at Christmas.

Between 23 and 27 December, three households from around the UK can join together and the single person would be in addition to those.

Wales' chief medical officer Frank Atherton previously said getting the vaccines to care homes was a "work in progress" and "very difficult" to do because it needs to be kept at a temperature of about -70C.

Speaking at the Welsh Government's briefing, Mr Drakeford said: "Our plans in Wales have been thoroughly tested.

"We expect to receive the first supplies in the next couple of days.

"We have trained staff to give the new vaccine."

He said he hoped it would mark "a turning point in the pandemic" and "put us on what is going to be a long path back to normality".

However, he did say his government will take a "precautionary approach" to lifting Covid-19 restrictions "until we have a sufficient number of people vaccinated".

"Even with the vaccines that are coming our way fastest, you have to have two doses of them three weeks apart, and they are not effective until after the second dose," Mr Drakeford said.

"So even those people who will be vaccinated in Wales in December will not see the benefit of that vaccine until into the new year."

Smooth rollout

Welsh Conservative leader in the Senedd Paul Davies called for Mr Drakeford to appoint a vaccines minister to ensure the process went smoothly.

The vaccine was "giving people hope at the end of a very dark tunnel", he said.

Mr Davies added: "What's important now is that we see the roll out of the vaccine will take place as soon as possible and that's why I think it's important that the Welsh Government have a specific minister responsible for the rollout of this vaccine, making sure this vaccine now rolls out across Wales over the next few months."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55189361

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Originally Posted by alexora Wales to become the first nation to administer the CV-19 vaccine, on Tuesday. Covid: First people to be vaccinated in Wales on Tuesday The first people to get the coronavirus vaccine in Wales will get the jab on Tuesday, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

Russia is starting its Covid-19 vaccination programme, with clinics in the capital Moscow inoculating those most at risk from the virus.

Its own vaccine Sputnik V, which was registered in August, is being used.

Developers say it is 95% effective and causes no major side effects, but it is still undergoing mass testing.

Thousands of people have already registered to get the first of two jabs over the weekend, but it is unclear how much Russia can manufacture.

Producers are only expected to make two million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who announced the programme earlier in the week, said it was being offered to people in the city of 13 million who work in schools and the health service, and social workers.

He said the list would grow as more of the vaccine became available.

An online registration service allows city residents in the above professions aged 18-60 to book free appointments at 70 sites around the city.

They will operate from 08:00 until 20:00 local time (05:00-17:00 GMT).

People who have received injections in the last 30 days or who have had respiratory diseases within the last two weeks will be excluded, as will those with certain chronic illnesses, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Each person will receive two injections, the second 21 days after the first.

Recipients calm as vaccine rolled out

By Sarah Rainsford, BBC News, Moscow

We've seen a handful of health workers and teachers getting vaccinated at this smart, central Moscow clinic.

They were all calm enough about receiving Sputnik V, even though it's still undergoing mass trials to test its safety and efficacy. One doctor said she'd seen enough Covid patients at her own hospital to prefer taking her chances with the vaccine.

When I asked another woman whether she was worried about the experimental injection, she reasoned that "everything has to start somewhere".

Everyone said they'd signed up voluntarily. Patients are asked a few general health questions before getting the vaccine, which is removed from the deep freeze around 15 minutes before use.

A leaflet warns of possible side effects, though it suggests those are most likely to be mild and last a couple of days at most.

'Let everyone else get vaccinated'

Reactions among the public to the vaccine rollout have been mixed, however.

"I like it because this is a chance to turn the tide, to reduce the infection rate," resident Igor Krivobokov told Reuters news agency.

But another, Sergei Grishin, said he did not plan to get the jab.

"This process will take a long time. Only a small amount of the vaccine has been produced... Let everyone else get vaccinated, and if they will - I will survive," he said.

So far Russia has recorded 2,431,731 cases of the virus, and 42,684 deaths. On Saturday it reported a record daily high of 28,782 new cases.

Hospitals all over the country have been overstretched.

Moscow is the centre of the pandemic in Russia, recording thousands of cases and dozens of deaths daily. The total number of cases for the past 24 hours was 7,993.

Russia's government has ruled out a lockdown, but in November Mr Sobyanin introduced restrictions in Moscow on opening hours for bars and clubs, moved higher education students to distance learning and reduced cultural and sporting events.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55198166