The last 20 months have been a time like no other, a time when we have faced challenges that we have never had to face before. And with the emergence of the new omicron variant, now confirmed in Wales, we face another challenge as we are all asked, yet again, to do our bit to keep Wales safe.

There’s a lot we don’t know about omicron but all the evidence we have so far suggests this is a fast-moving form of the virus which will quickly overtake delta as the dominant form.

We need to do everything we can to protect ourselves including wearing face coverings in indoor public spaces, social distancing, washing our hands regularly and taking a lateral flow test if we are going to social gatherings.

But the best tool in our armoury in the face of this new variant is vaccination.

It’s just over a year since the first Covid-19 vaccine – the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine – was approved for use in the UK and the first doses were given in Wales. The development and the roll-out of these vaccines has been remarkable.

Over the last 12 months, more than 5.5 million vaccines have been given to people in Wales. That’s the equivalent of 15,500 vaccines a day – every day for the last year. This is a truly herculean effort by our vaccination teams and I’m so grateful for that.

For the last 12 months, vaccines have saved lives and weakened the link between infection and serious illness, preventing thousands of people from needing hospital treatment. That is why Welsh Government has accepted the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendation to expand the Covid-19 booster programme to all adults and to offer 12 to 15-year-olds a second dose of the vaccine.

By next week, a million people in Wales will already have received a third, booster dose. But there are still too many people yet to take up the offer of vaccination, and if there is one message, I can convey through this column it is this: when you receive your invitation for a vaccine, whether it’s your first, second or booster vaccination, please make it your top priority.

The more boosters and vaccines we can give to people over the next couple of months, the better chance we have of preventing harm as cases of omicron rise. And don’t forget – it’s never too late to be vaccinated if you missed your appointment earlier in the year.

Vaccination is one of the best ways we can disrupt the transmission of the virus this winter, especially as we face the new uncertainty of the omicron variant. It’ll be the best Christmas present you can give yourself and your family this year.