COVID-19 PANDEMIC
PM: MANY FAMILIES WILL LOSE LOVED ONES SYMPTOMS? STAY AT HOME FOR SEVEN DAYS EVENTS CANCELLED BUT SCHOOLS REMAIN OPEN... FOR NOW COULD WALES’ INTENSIVE CARE UNITS COPE? WHY WALES V SCOTLAND IS GOING AHEAD
COVID-19 “is the worst public health crisis for a generation”, the Prime Minister has said as the Government’s top scientist warned that up to 10,000 people in the UK are already infected.
Boris Johnson introduced new measures to try and protect the elderly and vulnerable, saying anyone with coronavirus symptoms, however mild, such as a continuous cough or high temperature, must now stay at home for seven days.
The advice also applies to children, meaning parents could need to take time off to look after their youngsters at home.
The PM said school trips abroad should be stopped, while people over 70 with serious medical conditions should not go on cruises.
Mr Johnson told reporters at a press conference in Downing Street that there was no need to close schools now as the scientific advice “is that this could do more harm than good”.
He said this may change at some point while in the future, anybody living with somebody who is taken ill could also be told to self-isolate for seven days.
That measure is not being advised yet, the PM said, but he added: “I want to signal now that this is coming down the track.”
Mr Johnson said families would continue to “lose loved ones before their time” as the coronavirus outbreak worsens.
“We’ve all got to be clear, this is the worst public health crisis for a generation,” said the PM.
“Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right.
“Due to the lack of immunity this disease is more dangerous.
“It is going to spread further and I must level with you, I must level with the British public: many more families are going to lose loved ones
before their time.”
Stressing the need to protect others, Mr Johnson said: “If you have coronavirus symptoms however mild, either a new continuous cough or a high temperature, then you should stay at home for at least seven days to protect others and help slow the spread of the disease.”
He said the Government was also “considering the question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures”.
Even though the science showed it would have little impact, such fixtures placed a burden on public services.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said the actual number of people infected in the UK at the moment could be between 5,000 and 10,000.
“Currently we are on a trajectory that looks as though it is about four weeks or so behind Italy and some other countries in Europe,” he said, adding that more than 20 people in the UK with the virus were in intensive care units.
In a message to the elderly, Mr Johnson said although the disease was “particularly dangerous” for them, the vast majority would experience “a mild-to-moderate illness”.
But he said the most dangerous period is some weeks away, while
Prof Whitty said the elderly would in future be told to stay home more though not yet.
A further six people have tested positive in Wales, bringing the total of cases in the country to 25.
The announcement came as the total number of people in Wales tested for the disease reached 785 and the Welsh Government gave the goahead for online video consultations with GPs.
Yesterday, Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said the country had now entered the “delay” phase of the outbreak.
Tests for coronavirus will no longer be carried out on every person who complains of feeling unwell, and will now only be carried out on “specific groups” which he said had not yet been decided on but could include healthcare workers.
At a press conference in Cardiff, Dr
Atherton said: “We’re expecting cases to start rising probably in early April, and there maybe a peak of caseload in May and June.”
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price had earlier called for “serious consideration” about closing schools, and said “mass gatherings” should be cancelled – including Wales’ Six Nations rugby match against Scotland.
But Health Minister Vaughan Gething, who is attending the match tomorrow, said in response: “It’s really clear and important that ministers are making choices that are guided by the best possible evidence and scientific advice.
“The challenge about larger events is the science doesn’t tell us that it really makes a difference either in significantly delaying the peak of the outbreak or indeed in terms of saving life.
“So there isn’t public health advice available to us as decision-taking ministers that says it’s a right thing to do for the public to cancel those large events.”
Mr Gething also announced yesterday morning that video consultations with GPs, which were being trialled by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Gwent, would now be fully launched across the rest of Wales to help reduce pressure on surgeries and health centres.
People wanting face-to-face video appointments with healthcare professionals from their homes will need a smartphone, tablet or computer with a webcam running the Chrome or Safari web browsers.
The consultation will not leave a digital footprint, and appointments are deleted after they are finished.
Two of the newest cases of coronavirus, from the Cardiff and Monmouthshire areas, had travelled to affected countries abroad, while two others, from the Neath Port Talbot area, were contacts of a person already with the virus.
Another two, from the Blaenau Gwent and Wrexham areas, had not travelled and had no known contact with any other case.
Yesterday, it was confirmed that a Sky call centre worker who was suspected to have coronavirus does not have the disease.
On Tuesday, Sky said the Cardiff office had to be evacuated and closed for deep cleaning. Sky said the worker had been diagnosed with Covid-19.
A spokesman for Sky said: “Following further investigation in conjunction with Public Health Wales, we are pleased to confirm that our colleague who was suspected to have Covid-19, has not contracted the virus.
“On Tuesday we acted decisively to ensure the safety and welfare of our people and we have reopened the site today as planned.”
The Government has moved to the delay phase of its four-part plan. It came as two more deaths were announced in British hospitals and the number of people in the UK who have officially tested positive for coronavirus reached 596.
Ten people have died in the UK after testing positive for Covid-19.
The latest deaths were of an 89-year-old at Charing Cross Hospital in London and a woman in her 60s at Queen’s Hospital in Romford. Both had underlying health conditions.
From Monday, mass gatherings in Scotland above 500 people are set to be restricted, while Ireland announced the closure of schools and tourist attractions until the end of the month.
The FTSE 100 closed the day down by more than one 10th as fears over Covid-19 sparked the index’s worst bloodbath since 1987 and The World Health Organisation said it was “deeply concerned” some countries are not handling the pandemic with “the level of political commitment needed to control it”
The Prime Minister defended the UK’s approach.
“The measures that I have discussed today... staying at home if you think you have the symptoms, your whole household staying at home, looking after the elderly – making sure the elderly and vulnerable stay at home - these are the three most powerful defensive lines,” he said.
“We think it’s very important to maintain public trust and confidence in what we are doing, throughout this challenging time, always to be guided by the best possible scientific advice.”
In Wales, people are being advised not to visit relatives staying in care and nursing homes.
Mario Kreft, chairman of Care Forum Wales, described care homes as “safe havens” for elderly and vulnerable people which means it is vital to ensure the highest possible standards of infection control.
Care Forum Wales represents more than 450 care homes, nursing homes and other health and social care providers in Wales.
Mr Kreft said visits should not be made unless it is “absolutely essential”.
He believes bureaucracy should be cut so that older patients who no longer need hospital care should be transferred to care homes.
He thinks the process would help free up hospital beds, and allow the discharged patients to receive care in a more appropriate setting.
Mr Kreft said: “Simply put, not visiting care homes is likely to save people’s lives.”
The outbreak has also impacted upcoming political conferences with Plaid Cymru cancelling its spring event, which was due to take place in Llangollen on March 20 and 21.
Welsh Labour also announced it is postponing its annual conference, which was due to take place on March 27-29 in Llandudno.