First dose of COVID vaccine for care home residents.

Residents at our Gwynedd care home have received their first dose of the Astrazeneca/Oxford vaccine against COVID-19.

Meddyg Care, which has two specialist dementia care homes in Criccieth and Porthmadog, was visited by Dr. Eilir Hughes from Ty Doctor in Nefyn and Sister Sarah Matthews from Bron Meirion in Penrhyndeudraeth Surgery who immunised all residents.

They were supported by the homes’ nursing and care teams and all wore PPE.

Kevin Edwards, managing director of Meddyg Care, said: “We want to say thank you to all families for assisting our team in providing the necessary documentation and consents to allow our wonderful residents to receive the vaccine.

“The vaccinations were successful, with each home taking around two hours. Our staff were able to calm residents, reduce anxiety and ensure they were as comfortable as possible.

“Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. Most of these are mild and short-term, and not everyone gets them. Our nursing and care team will be monitoring all our residents closely to ensure our residents receive any necessary pain relief or medical intervention.”

The COVID-19 vaccine that residents have had has been shown to reduce the chance of them suffering from the COVID-19 disease. Each vaccine has been tested in more than 20,000 people in several different countries and shown to be safe.

Kevin added: “The next steps now will be uploading the resident’s vaccination record card on our clinical system and continuing to liaise with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in preparation for their next vaccination in 12 weeks. Having both doses gives them the best protection.

“It may take a week or two for residents to build up immunity to the virus.

“We hope that once residents have their second dose in April, indoor visits can start. Outdoor visits can still go ahead however at our Criccieth home and will resume at Porthmadog on January 25 and you can still video call your loved ones via Skype, Zoom or Facetime.

“This is no time to be complacent and we will continue to be vigilant with our measures to protect our residents. This includes an infrared temperature scan and weekly testing of staff for COVID.”

Our story was covered on BBC News with further statements from our managing director and home manager alongside comments from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board regarding the delays.

Anyone with any questions regarding the vaccine can contact Meddyg Care on 01766 800 900.