First Minister: Public health position “remains good in Wales” but new Delta variant has added “uncertainty and complexity”

 

First Minister Mark Drakeford has said the public health position remains good in Wales but the Delta variant has added a new level of “uncertainty and complexity.”

Opening today’s press conference, Drakeford said: “The seven-day case rate continues to be very low, we have fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people, and the positivity rate is also low at less than 1%.”

“I’m very glad to be able to confirm that the number of deaths is also very low, there have been no new recorded deaths by Public Health Wales in the last nine days and that is very good news.”

The first minister however said there is concern about the increase in rates of the Indian variant – now formally called the Delta variant.

The Delta variant is spreading in many parts of England, “despite the restrictions in place there.” He said.

“Today there are more than 10,700 confirmed cases in England, largely linked to eight areas of the country, and mainly in the North west.”

He said: “If that pattern continues, it’s important to say to everyone today that we will not be immune from that here in Wales.”

“Already we have 97 identified cases in Wales, and we know that they will be more than that.”

Drakeford said: “Everyone has been traced and advised to isolate, their contacts have been contacted too.”

“This includes a large cluster in Conwy and we keep that large cluster under very close investigation.”

He said: “Community testing is now available for anyone living in Llandudno, Llandudno Junction and Penrhyn Bay, I would ask anyone in those communities to come forward and to use those community testing facilities.”

“We have had examples of people contracting the virus in schools and in workplaces, there are up to 300 people, self-isolating.”

The first minister said the origin of the Conwy cluster was through international travel, “It’s almost all people who have been abroad, and when they come back to this country they find that they are already infected and I think that’s the origin of the Conwy cluster.”

People in Rhos on Sea, Colwyn Bay, Old Colwyn and Deganwy are now also being urged to come forward for a free test.

Over 380 people came forward for a PCR test, and over 1,300 lateral flow test packs were distributed at two special testing units between 29 May and 3 June.