Welsh Government advice to people with symptoms ‘may need to change’

A HEALTH board chief executive has suggested that the guidance for people with coronavirus needs to change.

Chief executive at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Judith Paget has said patients should seek medical advice if their symptoms haven’t gone in seven days.

Writing in a letter to Plaid leader Adam Price she said patients seeming “to present relatively late in their illness” is a theme that “needed to be explored further”.

With many Covid-19 patients arriving at hospital already very sick, Ms Paget suggested the Welsh Government advice may need to change.

She said: “This may have reflected the guidance at the time which was to stay at home, self-manage but to contact services if not coping or symptoms persisted beyond seven days.

“There is also suggestion in some of the patients’ records, as reported elsewhere that some of the patients were unaware of their deteriorating condition.

“The message to the public when they develop symptoms may need to be more nuanced, especially to those with predictable increased risk of deterioration.

“For example, an initial hypothesis is that new shortness of breath might be an indication of needing to seek medical help, albeit some patients will not experience this as they might present with other conditions.”

In her letter she attached a report that also suggested monitoring oxygen levels could be a useful way to prevent fatalities.

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region – which covers a large swathe of south-east Wales including the former Gwent counties – became one of Wales’ earliest hotspots for coronavirus cases.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price MS called on the Welsh Government to adopt earlier medical treatment for coronavirus.

He said: “The Aneurin Bevan report is clear evidence that lives could have been saved in Wales had we adopted earlier treatment before the

onset of severe Covid-19 symptoms.

“In light of the findings we must change our communication to the public and clinical guidance and do so even if there is no consensus among other UK Chief Medical Officers.

“We have repeatedly asked the Welsh Government about its approach to the benefits of giving supplemental oxygen through a variety of non-invasive methods.

“We should follow the example set by a number of hospitals around the world which are using pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels remotely.

“Now that there is clinical evidence of its benefit, and ahead of a possible second wave of Covid-19, national guidance must now be published as it could lead to fewer patients being treated in hospitals.

“When Wales has charted its own course during lockdown it has been able to protect its citizens and vital public services.”

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said it was assessing its current guidance and would make amendments in the coming week.

He said: “We continue to monitor the pandemic and public response to the stay at home message and will provide additional advice in the coming weeks.

“People should seek urgent medical help if their conditions worsen and they are unable to cope at home.

“People can use the NHS 111 online or telephone coronavirus service, or call 999 for urgent help if they or a member of their household are very unwell.”