The respiratory community across Wales have collaborated to help change Welsh vaccination policy to prioritise vulnerable patients during second wave

The largest data collection of its kind to date, gathered from the NHS Wales COVID-19 Data Audit, delivered by ICST, and published in the BMJ journal Thorax, has highlighted a “30-day window” for hospital inpatients to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to help reduce their risk of dying.

Data from 2,508 patients across 18 hospitals was collected by teams from NHS Wales during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess the impact of hospital-acquired COVID-19 on risk of death. Specialists in respiratory medicine, immunology and public health from across Wales carried out the analysis.

They found the risk of dying from hospital-acquired COVID-19 was far greater than it is for community-acquired infection.

Dr Simon Barry, National Respiratory Clinical Lead, and co-author of the guideline, said:

“We need to remember that those who are admitted to hospitals are at their most vulnerable and continue to look at ways to help reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infection in general.”

The findings highlights how effective vaccination proves to be in breaking the link between infection and death in the hospital setting, alongside enhanced infection control measures.