WALES' economy mininster has "no concerns" about the vaccine booster programme

Vaughan Gething was asked about the progress of the vaccine booster programme at Tuesday's Welsh Government media briefing..

The Welsh Government will publish data on the scheme next week, but Mr Gething said people should have "confidence" in the way the vaccine rollout has progressed.

Nearly three-quarters of 16-18-year-olds have had at least one jab, he said.

"We don't have concerns about how we're managing the rollout...it's really about how the public responds," he added.

Asked about waning immunity, Mr Gething said the existing vaccines have offered "five or six months of good protection" so far and ministers are taking scientific advice on any decline in their effectiveness over the longer-term.

He said Wales is also looking at international evidence, and he urges people in Wales who are eligible for a vaccine booster to get their jab.

Getting your full protection is the best way to protect yourselves, the people around you, and to avoid any further regulations.

At the same briefing, Mr Gething was asked if Wales will hold its own specific inquiry into the pandemic.

He said the preference has always been for a "joined up" UK inquiry as events in Wales were connected to what happened in Westminster.

He added there was a "constructive conversation" last night with Mark Drakeford and Boris Johnson on the matter, and Wales now sought written confirmation that the UK inquiry would include a "proper" investigation into Welsh matters.

If the UK Government cannot do that, then the Welsh Government has not ruled out a Wales-only inquiry, said Mr Gething.

The former health minister added that he understands there is a "real desire for scrutiny and lesson-learning", and he expects any inquiry will be challenging for ministers.