The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the health and social care landscape, both in terms of service provision and citizen need. Responsive, evidence-based research is essential to develop and implement appropriate policies and practices that manage both the pandemic itself, and the impact COVID-19 has on other health and social care issues.

To address this, the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre (WCEC) was launched in 2021 with the aim of providing the best available, up-to-date, and relevant evidence to inform health and care decision making across Wales.

Funded by the Welsh Government, the WCEC comprises of a core team and several collaborating partner organizations, including Health Technology Wales, Wales Centre for Evidence-Based Care, Specialist Unit for Review Evidence Centre, SAIL Databank, Public Health Wales, Bangor Institute for Health & Medical Research in conjunction with Health and Care Economics Cymru, and the Public Health Wales Observatory. Over the last year, WCEC has developed its rapid review processes and methodology informed by best international practice and aims to provide around 50 reviews each year. WCEC works alongside various stakeholder groups from health and social care across Wales, and they form an integral part of the review process, from scoping to knowledge mobilization.

To date, the WCEC has produced reviews on a diverse range of COVID-19 topics, including transmission, vaccination uptake (barriers, facilitators and interventions), mental health and wellbeing, as well as face coverings and other preventative interventions. The topics have also covered a wide range of populations, from general public, to healthcare workers, to children. These reviews have been used to inform policy and decision-making, including the Welsh Government’s Chief Medical Officer 21-day COVID-19 reviews.

The WCEC has brought together multiple specialist centers with a diverse range of skills to produce timely reviews of the most up-to-date research to support decision makers across health and social care. These reviews have informed policy and decision-making across Wales.