Another day with no deaths reported
NO CORONAVIRUS deaths have been reported in Wales for the second time this week.
Public Health Wales (PHW) confirmed yesterday that it had received no reports of deaths with lab-confirmed Covid-19.
It means the overall total recorded by the NHS trust remains at 1,545 since the outbreak began.
It is the fifth time there have been no new deaths reported in the previous 24 hours, following the same announcement on July 6, 10, 12 and 13.
The days in which no new deaths have been reported to PHW are different to the 24-hour periods in which no deaths occurred as it can be several days before a death is logged officially.
The days in which no deaths with Covid-19 have occurred in Wales are June 18, July 3, July 10 and July 12.
So far this week there have been no deaths that have occurred since Monday which have been registered with PHW.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the true death toll in Wales, where the virus was mentioned on a death certificate, was 2,470 by July 11.
Meanwhile, PHW said the number of labconfirmed positive cases of coronavirus in Wales had increased by 18 to bring the total to 16,871.
Wrexham had five new cases followed by Conwy with four. Monmouthshire, Anglesey, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, Carmarthenshire, Powys and Neath Port Talbot all had one new case. All other local authorities had no new cases.
And even though testing capacity stands at 15,000 each day in Wales just 4,319 tests were carried out on Wednesday, July 15.
The latest figures were announced following a press conference with Wales’s cheif medical officer Dr Frank Atherton who said that the number of people dying with coronavirus in Wales has fallen to single figures frequently over recent weeks.
Wales has also seen a number of days in the last week where there were no deaths reported.
“I would like to add my condolences to all those families across Wales who have lost a loved one over the last few months,” he said.
“But all this doesn’t mean that coronavirus has gone away. We must all continue to take sensible measures to protect ourselves and reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
“The most effective ways to do that are to maintain a two-metre distance and to wash your hands often.”
Currently around 4,000 people are being tested for the virus each but the rate of positive tests as the moment is 0.5%. At its peak, the positivity rate was around 43%.
Dr Atherton also stated that face masks were not a substitute for maintaining social distancing and good hygiene.
He said: “I want to be clear that maintaining a two-metre distance, avoiding touching surfaces and your face and washing your hands often are the most effective measures you can take to protect yourself from coronavirus. Face coverings are not a substitute for these measures.
“We have been advising for some time that in some circumstances, in line with WHO guidance, particularly in crowded areas, people may want to wear a three-layer, non-medical face covering.
“We are now moving to a position where it will be compulsory for people to wear a face covering when travelling on buses, trains and in taxis from July 27.”