A Gwynedd care home has thanked the families and friends of its residents for their patience as a pilot for vaccine rollout begins.

Gwynedd has been given vaccine supplies sufficient for less than 15 per cent of care homes, meaning while the process of safeguarding residents can begin, there is still some way to go.

Gwynedd County Council has chosen to offer vaccines to prioritise care homes based on risk prevalence and with bed capacity.

As such, it is not yet clear when Meddyg’s care homes will receive the required doses.

Kevin Edwards, managing director, said: “I know many families will want to spend time with their loved ones who are residents with Meddyg Care, particularly at this time of year.

“We know the vaccine will eventually enable us to open up more widely to visits, and while we’re finally on the way, we are not there yet, and we don’t know at present when we will be.

“As such, I’d like to thank families for their remarkable patience in this difficult time.”

Some care homes covered by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have been among the first in Wales to receive the vaccine for Covid-19, with the pilot covering care home staff, health and social care workers and those aged 80 and over.

The requirement to store the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine at minus 70 degrees centigrade has previously required it to be administered in a hospital setting.

However new storage and packaging techniques mean health boards can take the vaccine to settings with at least five residents, rather than using it only in the static vaccination centres.

Welsh Government has said that the effects of the vaccine may not be seen nationally for many months and their advice on keeping Wales safe remains the same for everyone; keep contacts with other people to a minimum, keep a two-metre distance from others, wash hands regularly, wear a face covering where required and avoid touching surfaces others have touched, wherever possible.

Meddyg Care will continue to keep residents and their families updated with any further information on the rollout of the vaccine.