A fifth of adults under 40 in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have still not had their first dose of a Covid vaccine.
Out of 78,000 eligible adults under 40 in the Swansea Bay University Health Board area, around 16,000 or 20% remain unvaccinated. Other figures from Public Health Wales suggest the total could be even higher, close to 30%.
Swansea Bay University Health Board director of public health, Dr Keith Reid, has branded the figure “concerning”. He is now urging all eligible adults who remain unvaccinated to get their first dose as soon as possible. Drop-in sessions are ongoing and appointments are available.
Read more: The unexplained trends in Wales’ coronavirus data that people don’t yet understand
Dr Reid said: “The summer holidays give us all the much needed opportunity to catch up with family and friends and visit those places we have missed. Unfortunately, the coronavirus will also be getting out and about, exploiting any opportunity to spread.
“We must remember that we are still in the middle of the third wave and the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in Wales, is much easier to catch than the Alpha or Kent variant.”
No vaccines offer 100% protection. But after two doses the current vaccines offer very good protection against Covid overall. And they are highly effective (96% for Pfizer and 92% for Oxford-AstraZeneca) at preventing hospitalisation from the Delta variant.
Find out about coronavirus cases in your area:
Dr Reid added: “We know some young people are reluctant to have the vaccine due to myths circulating on social media. These state the vaccines cause infertility in women or impotence in men. Some people who are young and healthy believe they’re better off letting their immune system fight off the virus naturally.
“None of these things are true and it’s dangerous to believe them. Indeed, it is natural Covid infection and long Covid which are associated with erectile dysfunction in men. There have been no reports of impotence linked to vaccination and vaccination is recommended as a protection against this side-effect of Covid infection.”
The infection rate in Wales now stands at 155.2 cases per 100,000 based on the seven days leading up to July 24, down from 156.9 the day before. Wales’ infection rate has now fallen steadily over the last week from a peak of more than 200 cases for every 100k people in the preceding week.
How many people with coronavirus are in hospital?
Data up until July 28 shows that out of the 1,143 general and acute beds occupied across Swansea Bay University Local Health Board, 19 of those are taken up by a Covid-19 case. Out of 39 invasive ventilated beds available across the board, none are currently being occupied by a Covid-19 case.
Which areas of Swansea currently have the highest rates of coronavirus?
Swansea’s infection rate is currently 121.5 cases per 100,000, down from 121.9 the day before.
Eighteen areas of the city currently have an infection rate over 100. Cockett currently has the highest with 207, followed by Ravenhill (202) and Landore – (194)
It’s important to note that despite high case numbers in some parts of the city, the number of people in hospital with Covid across the health board is still low.
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This data shows a breakdown of different parts of the city:
The total number of cases is followed by the incidence per 100,000 population (rounded to the nearest whole number), starting with the area with the highest infection rate:
Cockett – 15, 207
Ravenhill – 17, 202
Landore – 20, 194
Cwmbwrla – 15, 192
Birchgrove – 15, 186
Gorseinon – 17, 160
Loughor – 15, 157
Sketty – 10, 157
Llangyfelach & Tircoed – 13, 155
Mynyddbach – 13, 143
Llansamlet – 10, 142
West Cross – 9, 138
Penderry – 13, 135
Bonymaen – 10, 133
Dunvant and Upper Killay – 7, 125
Tycoch – 10, 122
Gowerton – 8, 119
Brynmill – 11, 108
Central Swansea – 10, 97
Mumbles & Newton – 7, 95
Clydach & Mawr – 9, 94
Townhill – 8, 88
Uplands – 8, 82
Killay – 4, 80
West Gower – 5, 79
Morriston South – 5, 66
Pontarddulais – 4, 60
Llanmorlais & Three Crosses – 3, 59
Mayals & Bishopston – 3, 52
St Thomas – 3, 36
Morriston North – 3, 34
Drop-in sessions are taking place at the Bay Field Hospital and The Orangery Mass Vaccination Centre at Margam Park every weekend, if you can’t make a drop-in or are 40 or over, you can book an appointment on 01792 200492.
Drop-in sessions taking place:
(Some second dose appointments are also scheduled during these sessions and will go ahead as normal.)
Bay Field Hospital Mass Vaccination Centre over the next three weekends:
Saturday, July 31 – 10am – 6pm
Sunday, August 1 – 10am – 6pm
Saturday, August 7 – 10am – 6pm
Sunday, August 8 – 10am – 6pm
Wednesday, August 11 – 10am to 6pm
Saturday, August 14 – 9am to 7.40pm
Sunday, August 15 – 10am to 6pm
The Orangery Mass Vaccination Centre at Margam Park:
Thursday, August 12 – 1pm to 7.45pm
Friday, August 13 – 1pm to 7.45pm
Saturday, August 14 – 9am to 7.45pm
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