Powys has the highest first and second dose vaccination rates across the whole of Wales, according to the latest figures.

In its vaccination newsletter, Powys Teaching Health Board has announced that 91.1 per cent of people aged 18 and over have had their first dose, compared to the national average of 87.2 per cent.

88.9 per cent of Powys adults have received their second dose, with the Welsh average currently standing at 84 per cent .

The health board has also revealed that the vaccine take up in the county is high among 16 and 17 year olds, with 82.5 per cent of this age group receiving their first dose, compared to the Welsh average of 74.3 per cent . Around 60 per cent of 12-15 year olds in Powys have also taken up their first dose.

Vaccincation booster appointments in Powys are now under way, with 25,000 booster doses having been administered across the county, which includes nearly 7,000 people aged 80 and over.

Your invitation for a booster will normally be from the health board, and will be no earlier than six months after your second dose. In practice it will normally be around six to seven months after your second. If your second dose was before March 21 and you have not received your invitation letter, there is a priority access form to let the health board know.

The form can be found here: https://pthb.nhs.wales/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination/booster/priority-access-form-for-booster-dose-appointments/

Booster doses in Powys are offered with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The health board has thanked everyone who continues to make the widescale vaccination programme possible, but warns that coronavirus case rates remain high in the county.

A spokesperson for Powys Teaching Health Board said: “Coronavirus continues to circulate. Confirmed coronavirus case rates in continue to be at their highest levels since the pandemic began.

‘There is good evidence that two doses of the vaccine prevent serious illness from COVID-19, and that a booster helps

to maintain that protection, but we all need to assume that we can catch the virus and transmit it even if we have had the vaccine.

“Case rates are particularly high amongst teenagers right now.”

The next online Q&A session with Chief Executive at Powys Teaching Health Board Carol Shillabeer will take place at 5.30pm on Tuesday, November 16.

The event will be run on Microsoft Teams Live Event and incldues a function which allows you to ask questions.

The link to join this event can be found in the newsletter, availabe on the health board’s website.