Wales is ‘well-prepared’ for virus as China death toll rises
WALES is “well-prepared” to protect the health of its population should any cases of the potentiallydeadly coronavirus be reported here, a public health chief has claimed.
Dr Robin Howe, incident director for the novel coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, admitted it is likely that Wales will see cases “at some point”.
He said: “We are working closely with the other UK nations, the Welsh Government, the wider NHS in Wales, and others to monitor the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, and have implemented our planned response. We are well prepared, with robust infection control measures in place to protect the health of the public.
“The novel coronavirus diagnostic test has now been rolled out to laboratories across the UK, including the specialist virology laboratory at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.
“Public Health Wales’ trained scientists are now conducting the specialist test in Wales, ensuring we are well prepared should we begin to see an increased number of cases.”
Dr Howe added that all Welsh residents who meet the current testing criteria for coronavirus are being offered it.
However, Public Health Wales said it would not provide commentary on the numbers of suspected cases, or on the numbers of people being screened, in Wales.
Coronavirus presents with flu-like symptoms including a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing. The current evidence is that most cases appear to be mild, although it can prove fatal in people with pre-existing conditions.
Dr Howe added: “Members of the public can help protect themselves and others by always carrying tissues, and using them to catch coughs or sneezes. They should bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash their hands with soap and water, or use a sanitiser gel. This is the best way to slow the spread of most germs, including coronavirus.”
Last Monday, UK Government Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced new regulations in England as “the transmission of coronavirus would constitute a serious threat”.
Under the Department of Health measures people will not be free to leave quarantine, and can be forcibly sent into isolation if they pose a threat.
The Welsh Government is looking at introducing similar measures.
In a written statement, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “I am currently considering whether our current legislation is sufficient to protect the wider public from coronavirus or other high consequence infections or whether we need to make equivalent provisions in Wales.
“The evolving 2019nCoV outbreak, the increasing number of countries reporting cases and the change to the case definition have led to a significant increase in individuals requiring assessment and testing. The aim is to manage as many people as possible outside hospital emergency departments.”
Hong Kong University chair of public health medicine Professor Gabriel Leung told the Guardian the virus could infect about 60% of the world’s population if is not controlled.
Last month he warned in a paper published in the Lancet that outbreaks like coronavirus were “growing exponentially” in cities in China.
Prof Leung told the Guardian: “Is 60-80% of the world’s population going to get infected? Maybe not.
“Maybe this will come in waves. Maybe the virus is going to attenuate its lethality because it certainly doesn’t help it if it kills everybody in its path, because it will get killed as well.”