UK death toll passes 24,000 as tribute paid to frontline dead
Of those attending school daily, around 600 were classed as vulnerable.
Earlier, Ms Williams set out the five principles which will determine when and how schools will return to providing education for most school pupils. They are:
The safety and mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of students and staff;
Continuing contribution to the national effort and strategy to fight the spread of Covid-19;
Having the confidence of parents, staff and students, based on evidence and information, so that they can plan ahead;
Ability to prioritise learners at key points, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds; and
Consistency with the Welsh Government’s framework for decisionmaking, to have guidance in place to support measures such as distancing, managing attendance and wider protective actions.
Elswhere, it emerged that a further 31 confirmed coronavirus deaths in Wales have been missed out from the country’s official statistics.
A Welsh Government review into how health boards report Covid-19 deaths said Hywel Dda health board – which covers a large swathe of West Wales – had failed to record the missing numbers to Public Health Wales (PHW).
The findings mean 115 deaths will have had to be retrospectively added to the total in Wales, with the review only ordered after it emerged 84 deaths had not been reported by Besti Cadwaladr health board, which covers North Wales.
The review document, published yesterday, states: “During this process further issues have been identified in relation to data being provided by Hywel Dda health board, who on April 28 confirmed that they have identified 31 retrospective deaths which should have been in scope.
“PHW has received assurances from all other health boards and trusts that reliable systems are in place for reporting deaths and there are no unreported deaths.”
At the Welsh Government’s daily press briefing yesterday, Health Minister Vaughan Gething claimed the error had not affected families being told their relatives had died, nor did it change the government’s understanding of the disease profile across Wales.
He said there had been inconsistent reporting methods used across the Hywel Dda health board area, while there had been “challenges in communication” between Betsi Cadwaladr health board and PHW.
Mr Gething said: “We’re absolutely clear now that all of the reporting systems are consistent, everyone is going to use the same reporting method. And that should then mean that from the figures today and tomorrow we’ll be fully up to date.”
Asked if the mistakes would damage public confidence in statistics released by the government, he said: “It doesn’t make any material difference to the profile of the disease or indeed the confidence the public should have about the necessity of the information we’re providing, and the measures they’re taking in adhering to the rules on social distancing
“That’s made the biggest difference in halting the progress of Covid-19 across Wales.
“We, of course, want to understand what’s happening through the time, going by the best information possible. And if there are challenges in it, we need to do exactly what we’ve done today in openly setting out what’s happened and why and the scale of it.”
Answering questions on face masks, Mr Gething said there was “no evidence” that it was harmful for members of the public to wear a form of face covering or scarf.
“If we do give formal guidance that people should wear a covering over their face, we need to understand what that means about the way the public will then behave,” he said.
“We also need to be particularly cognisant of the potential for people trying to acquire masks that would otherwise be used by health and care professionals.”
Mr Gething said he wanted to see details of the Scottish Government’s recommendation on wearing face coverings in “limited circumstances” and speak to Wales’ chief medical officer before “making a definitive comment about the position in Wales”.
After the briefing, PHW said 17 people had died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths here to 813, with the missing 31 deaths to be added to today’s total.
A further 232 people had also tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Wales to 9,512.
At Cardiff Airport, a charter flight carrying 200,000 fluid-resistant gowns arrived from Cambodia yesterday as Mr Gething revealed that it is estimated Wales is using between 40,000 to 50,000 each week.
The flight is the first of two due to arrive this week to replenish supplies of gowns for NHS and social care staff in Wales.
Another cargo flight is expected to arrive from Hangzho in China later this week with a further 460,000 gowns on board.
AT least 24,000 people in the UK have died after suffering confirmed or suspected Covid-19, new figures show, as the nation paid tribute to frontline workers who have lost their lives.
Some 24,243 deaths involving coronavirus have now been registered across the UK, analysis by the PA news agency shows, as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) reported there had been more than 4,000 deaths in care homes in England. However, the true toll is thought to be far higher.
Separate figures released by the UK Government yesterday showed 21,678 patients have now died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Monday, up 586 on the day before.
The figures came as the nation held a minute’s silence to honour those who have lost their lives on the frontline following a campaign from Unison, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal of College of Nursing.
People across the UK paused for a minute in tribute to the sacrifice made by those in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to carers, cleaners, porters and bus drivers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has just returned to work this week after recovering from Covid-19, joined the countrywide commemoration, as did Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
It comes as the NHS in England is preparing to resume key non-coronavirus services, including the most urgent cancer care, over fears thousands of patients could be having their illnesses made worse or missed altogether.
Professor Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist and dean at the University of Buckingham medical school, said the NHS must get going again on heart and cancer care, adding there was a need to avoid a “catastrophe” on cancer.
Earlier, the Health Secretary was confronted on LBC radio by the son of a medic who died two weeks after warning the government about a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Intisar Chowdhury, 18, the son of Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, a consultant urologist at Homerton hospital in east London, asked Mr Hancock whether he regretted not taking his father’s concerns seriously and asked him to “openly acknowledge” there had been mistakes in handling the virus.
Answering the question, the Health Secretary said: “Intisar, I’m really sorry about your dad’s death and I have seen the comments you’ve made and what you’ve said in public and I think it’s very brave of you.
“We took very, very seriously what your father said and we’ve been working around the clock to ensure that there’s enough protective equipment.”
During the interview, Mr Hancock also suggested that some sport may be allowed to resume behind closed doors as long as it could be carried out in a “socially distanced” way.
He added: “I do think it’s doable but a lot of work needs to be done to find a way to make it happen.”
Elsewhere:
■ Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told the Commons Science and Technology Committee he would be “terribly worried” about lifting lockdown measures with no or limited knowledge of the population’s immunity against coronavirus;
■ Matthew Gould, chief executive of NHSX, the health service’s digital innovation arm, told the committee people can be “confident” their personal data will not be compromised when using a contact-tracing app;
■ More than 100 NHS and social care workers are now known to have died in the UK, according to analysis by the PA news agency;
■ There will be an official RAF flypast to mark NHS fundraiser Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday tomorrow, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced;
■ The Times reported that schools will remain shut next month, but shops selling non-essential items will be allowed to reopen if customers can be kept two metres apart. People could also be allowed to mix with a wider group of friends or family, according to the paper.
In the LBC interview, Mr Hancock said he does not think there is “lockdown fatigue” or an appetite for an exit route among the public.
“If you look at surveys of the public, if you talk to members of the public, if you look at how much the public are following the measures, the public are following the lockdown brilliantly,” he said.
“There’s a media debate about it and I understand that. But actually the proportion of the public who support the lockdown remains absolutely solid. The number of people who are following the rules remains incredibly high. The number of people who are taking journeys, for instance, has barely changed on three weeks ago.”
The government has been under increasing pressure over easing the lockdown, with Mr Johnson saying on Monday more would be said about the issue in the coming days. But Downing Street played down reports that the government will announce its lockdown exit strategy this week.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: “We’ve set out that we will review social distancing measures by May 7. The government is focused upon that date.”
It is understood that ministers may, however, set out how the government believes the fight against infections is going by the end of this week.
The government’s five tests which must be met before the measures are relieved have not yet been achieved, the PM’s spokesman said.
“We’re not at that point yet,” he said. “I don’t think we’re suggesting for a moment that the five tests currently are met – we will have to wait until they are.”
Asked if it was possible to meet the target of 100,000 daily tests by tomorrow, Mr Hancock said: “We’re still on track but it’s a big big task. There’s a lot of things that we need to get right so there’s no guarantees in this life but we still are on track.”
Mr Hancock then agreed a £100 bet with host Nick Ferrari, with the LBC presenter promising to give the money to Hospice UK if the target is met by May 1.
Mr Hancock also told Mr Ferrari he is “worried” about a rare but serious new syndrome in children “that we think may be caused by coronavirus”.
Experts are looking in detail at the syndrome, which causes a type of sepsis shock in youngsters and has been reported in hospitals in the UK and around Europe.