: It's right, of
course, for us not to be just parochial, if you like, and comparing
ourselves to other nations in these islands, but comparing
ourselves to some of the best in the world. We know, of course, by
Sunday, Israel had vaccinated 20 per cent of its
population—I think it's now up to 28 per cent. It was initially
expected that their programme would also suffer a slow down with
Pfizer doses running low, but the
IsraeliGovernment secured a commitment from the
company to bring forward deliveries on the grounds that they would
share statistical data, in return giving scientists a case study to
which to analyse the impact of the vaccine roll-out. That means
that they're on target to meet a complete vaccination of their
citizens over 16 within two months. First Minister, would you
commit to contacting Pfizer to explore avenues for Wales to reach a
similar agreement, or failing this, would you make representations
to the UK Prime Minister to pursue a similar path, so that we can
make this lockdown that we're going through now the last lockdown?
(First Minister of Wales): Well, Llywydd, as the
health Minister explained, we do have direct contact with
suppliers of the vaccine, but that is not about the contract that
is struck with them—that is done by the UK Government on behalf
of all four nations. I'll raise the points the Member has made at
my next meeting with the UK Government tomorrow, but the
negotiations that they carry out on our behalf have succeeded in
securing for the United Kingdom, and therefore for Wales,
supplies of vaccine that mean that the United Kingdom, and Wales
as part of it, is, as you heard the health Minister explain, at
the leading edge of vaccination on the world stage. The
confidence that we have in those supplies comes from our ability
to pool our needs and our resources and to have that then
dispersed across the United Kingdom in a way that reflects both
our population and the structure of that population.
