LETTERS will be sent out to 20,000 West Wales residents aged 75-79 in the coming days inviting them to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

Hywel Dda Health Board has confirmed that residents in the 75-79 age bracket will receive a letter inviting them to attend one of six mass vaccination centres around Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, with Ceredigion’s centres being in Teifi Leisure Centre in Cardigan and the Thomas Parry Library on Aberystwyth University’s Llanbadarn campus.

Other vaccination centres will be in Halliwell Conference Centre at the University of Wales Trinity St David in Carmarthen, Pembrokeshire Archives in Prendergast, Haverfordwest, Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli and Tenby Leisure Centre.

The Health Board says: “These mass vaccination centres will provide a safe environment, space to maintain social distancing while allowing more people to be vaccinated as efficiently and as quickly as possible.

“It is vital that you make every effort to attend your appointment.”

Steve Moore, Chief Executive of Hywel Dda UHB, said: “Until now we have been using our mass vaccination centres to vaccinate our front-line staff in health, social care and care homes. With over 85 per cent of front-line health workers having had their first dose, and seeing rapid progress with care home staff and social care staff, we are now moving onto the next phase of our delivery plan.

“The opening of our mass vaccination centres to the public will allow us to offer more people a vaccine as soon as supplies are available to us. If you have received an invitation it is because you are in a priority group and at greater risk of complications if you catch COVID-19.

“Vaccines are safe, effective and save lives and the Covid vaccine offers our community hope.

“By receiving your vaccine, you will continue to play your small but incredibly important part in protecting yourself, the most vulnerable in our communities and our local NHS. Thank you.”

When you attend your appointment please bring with you your appointment letter, some ID such as your passport, driving license or utility bill in your name and a face mask (if you don’t have one, you will be given one).

People aged 80 years and over will continue to be invited by their GP practice to receive the vaccine, all of which have now received a supply of vaccines. The health board has also commissioned GP practices to vaccinate housebound patients and residents in our care homes.

Hywel Dda UHB is working to offer a vaccine to everyone in priority groups 1 to 4 by mid-February. People over 70 years of age and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable as part of priority group 4 will be invited next to receive a vaccine.

The health board will provide further information at the earliest opportunity.

Please do not attend any vaccination venue without an appointment and do not contact your GP, pharmacy or health board to ask when you will be invited. People are being invited to receive the vaccine in order of priority and we thank you for your patience.Speaking on the decision to allow the Thomas Parry Library to be used as a vaccination centre, Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said: "We’re really pleased to be able to provide the local health board with the space they need to deliver the vaccine in Aberystwyth."We are all so grateful for the incredible work of our national health service during this global pandemic. "At the university, we have worked as hard as we can to free up this space on our Llanbadarn Campus for the vaccination team as swiftly as possible."As part of this, all Aberystwyth University services have been moved out of the relevant area, and alternative arrangements have been found where necessary."We are committed to continue to work very closely with Hywel Dda Local Health Board, as well as other local, regional and national partners, and do all we can to defeat this virus.”