THE Welsh education minister has defended the model of vaccine priority of age over occupation.

She spoke as primary school pupils returned to school on Monday, March 15, joining those in foundation years who returned earlier in February for face-to-face teaching.

From today, secondary schools now have the option to bring Year 10 and 12 learners back as well. There will be “flexibility” to allow all other pupils to “check-in” with teachers on a limited number of days ahead of a full return.

Looking ahead, after the Easter break, all students in Wales will be able to return to classrooms and lecture halls from April 12, the Lib Dem MS reiterated.

Quizzed during today’s Welsh Government coronavirus briefing, Ms Williams was asked about the safety of school staff being brought back to full classrooms with limited protection against the COVID-19 virus.

She said that there has been a “huge amount of debate” about who should get a vaccine and at what time.

She said: “The first groups 1-9, as set out by the JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation], are to protect the vulnerable who are likely to end up in hospital, be very ill or die from COVID.

“There has not been much evidence to say that teachers would be more at risk based on their job, some teachers have been vaccinated due to age or health conditions. The JCVI have said it is best to do it by age.

“As Dr [Chris] Jones [Deputy CMO for Wales] tells me, the NHS is good at knowing how old we are but not at what job we do.”

Previously, police staff who deal with the public as part of their duties have been denied priority for a jab across the UK.

The JCVI said that focusing on age would "provide the greatest benefit in the shortest time".

At that time, the Welsh Government said it has followed the independent advice on vaccine priority from the JCVI since the start of the vaccine rollout as have all the devolved administrations.

The nation’s chief medical officer, Dr Frank Atherton, previously said that "occupational prioritisation would complicate the rollout and slow it down."