Sunday Update: Public Health Wales say 94 Coronavirus cases have been reported in Wales 34 more than yesterday

Public Health Wales has stated there are 34 officially confirmed new cases in Wales compared to yesterday, with a total of 94 cases.

However, yesterday the local Health Board stated routine community testing had ceased, so such figures now likely only show confirmed tested cases at hospitals or key worker groups tested as the number of people affected and self-isolating grows.

Public Health Wales statement as follows: 

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:

“We can confirm that 34 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 94.

“Public Health Wales is working within the phased approach to tackling the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outlined in the UK Coronavirus Action Plan – to contain, delay, research and mitigate.

“We are working with our partners in the Welsh Government, the wider NHS in Wales, and others now that we have entered the ‘delay’ phase.  This is now not just an attempt to contain the disease, as far as possible, but to delay its spread.

We are working hard to slow the spread of coronavirus in Wales. With your help, we will do this together. pic.twitter.com/EbnoQdgfgN

— Mark Drakeford (@fmwales) March 15, 2020

“The advice for the public changed.  People no longer need to contact NHS 111 if they think they may have contracted Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Instead, anyone who has a high temperature or a new continuous cough should stay at home for seven days.  They should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. 

“They should only contact NHS 111 if they feel they cannot cope with their symptoms at home, their condition gets worse, or their symptoms do not get better after seven days.”

“The public play an important role in this new phase. By following the latest advice, you will protect yourself, protect the most vulnerable, and delay and flatten the peak, which will reduce the pressure on NHS Wales and minimise the impact of the virus.

“The move into the ‘delay’ phase, will include working closely with health boards, NHS 111 and the Welsh Government towards transitioning away from community testing and contact tracing. Testing will now focus on cases admitted to hospital, in line with national guidance, and based on symptoms and severity.      

“The move away from community testing gives us greater capacity to test in hospital settings, where the most vulnerable patients will be cared for.

“While there is no longer a need to identify every case through community testing, we will still need to and will be able to report on Novel Coronavirus level in Wales. In a similar way to our seasonal flu reporting, we will be undertaking routine Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) surveillance which will help us understand the picture in Wales. 

We will therefore continue in the short term to report numbers of confirmed cases, which will give us some indication of the picture in Wales.

The table below shows the number of cases by local authority as of today Sunday, 15 March. Please note that at the time of publishing, the residential area of 9 of the confirmed cases today were still being confirmed.

Coronavirus: People with fever or ‘continuous’ cough told to self-isolate – here is the latest advice from Public Health Wales

Also be aware of the general advice on hand washing and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues, and Guidance for schools: advice for parents or carers.

The new symptom checker can be found here: www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk

[Feature Image – Wepre Park]