Under-18s in Wales and children with underlying health conditions to be invited for Covid jabs
Young people who are within three months of turning 18 in Wales will now be invited to get their coronavirus jabs.
People aged from 17 years and nine months will either be invited to a booked appointment or they can attend a walk-in vaccination clinic in their area.
The Welsh Government said it hoped take-up among this group will be high - as they are the age group who will be on the verge of entering the workplace or about to start university in the autumn.
It comes following concerns there is slow vaccine uptake among the under-30s with around one in four people aged 18-39 still not vaccinated.
Public Health Wales also said the people admitted to hospital with coronavirus is now more "evenly split" between those aged under 60 and those aged 60 and over compared to previous waves, when hospitalisations were more common for older people.
The expansion of the vaccination rollout will also include people aged between 12 and 17 who have underlying conditions or live with a vulnerable person.
On Thursday it was also announced that 80% of adults in Wales are now fully vaccinated.
Deputy chief medical officer for vaccines Gill Richardson said, "This is the next stage of our successful vaccination programme and the first step towards delivering vaccines to children and young people.
"We will move quickly to vaccinate those aged 12-17 who fall into the categories outlined by the recent JCVI guidance on vaccinating children.
"Our vaccination programme continues to make outstanding progress, and more than 2 million people in Wales have been fully vaccinated.
"We are incredibly grateful for the work of all the NHS staff, volunteers and the military who are making sure no one is left behind."
Meanwhile, Public Health Wales data published on Thursday revealed there have been a further three recorded coronavirus deaths and 724 new confirmed cases.
Wales' coronavirus death toll now stands at 5,606 according to PHW figures.
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