Covid-19 claims 27 more lives in Wales as FM urges review of lockdown
AFURTHER 27 people have died after contracting coronvirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths to 193 as First Minister Mark Drakeford said the current lockdown will need to continue beyond next Tuesday for current efforts to have an effect.
But Mr Drakeford added social distancing measures are beginning
to have a “positive impact” and said fewer people were out and about at the weekend despite the good weather.
He said the four governments now needed to meet for an urgent Cobra meeting to review the Covid-19 lockdown measures.
He said it was important all four nations to decide whether to extend the current lockdown while Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in hospital receiving treatment for persistent coronavirus symptoms.
Mr Drakeford told Wales’ daily coronavirus briefing yesterday he wished Mr Johnson a “speedy recovery”, but stressed measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 should now be reviewed as the current three-week lockdown nears its end.
He said: “As we reach this two-week point it is very important, I believe, that Cobra now meets again to review the regulations as we are required to do, and to make a decision about what happens next,” he added.
“It’s important that the four governments of the UK come together to consider the evidence and to decide the best way forward together.”
There are now 3,499 confirmed cases in Wales after 302 more people tested positive, Public Health Wales said yesterday.
Asked if he would advocate an extension of the current lockdown, Mr Drakeford said it would be “foolish” to remove the current constraints after “the enormous effort everyone has made” during the period.
“I think the lockdown will need to continue beyond Easter Tuesday.
“That’s when the three weeks formally comes to an end,” he said.
“We will look at the scientific and medical evidence.
“But everything suggests to me a further period of restraint will be necessary.”
In total, more than 15,000 tests for Covid-19 have been carried out in Wales but Mr Drakeford said 9,000 tests per day would be performed in Wales by the end of the month.
He said: “We were the head of the UK in saying we want to test front line workers who are in seclusion. We have done significant numbers of NHS staff to get them back into the workplace.
“We have identified police, prison and care workers as also a priority.”
But the true number of coronavirus cases is likely to be higher, Dr Giri Shankar, Public Health Wales incident director for the outbreak response, said.
Dr Shankar said: “302 new cases have tested positive for novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,499, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.
“Twenty-seven further deaths have been reported to us of people who had tested positive for novel coronavirus (Covid-19), taking the number of deaths in Wales to 193.
“We offer our condolences to families and friends affected, and we ask those reporting on the situation to respect patient confidentiality.”
Yesterday’s figures showed 5,373 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died in UK hospitals, with 208,837 people tested for the virus, of which 51,608 had tested positive.
A new two-metre distancing rule will apply to all workplaces in Wales from today and three months of free childcare has been announced for critical workers with children under five years of age.
The law over two-metre distances in the workplace is “not an absolute ban” and required employers to take “all reasonable measures”.
“The regulations are there to reinforce the existing message. We have been providing guidance to companies on that. The enforcement on it – and the best enforcers – are the workers themselves,” said Mr Drakeford. “We were getting too many reports from people feeling they were not safe in the workplace.”
The Welsh Government is launching a coronavirus childcare assistance scheme to support Wales’ critical workers. Under the new plans, councils will be able to use funding from the Welsh Government’s childcare offer to support registered childcare providers to care for pre-school-aged children of critical workers. Children classed as vulnerable will also be included in the scheme.
Mr Drakeford said Wales would have 7,000 more hospital beds, twice the normal capacity, while critical care capacity had doubled and more than a thousand extra ventilators were “on their way”.
He said: “It may turn out to be marginally more or less than we need but we track it. If more was needed we would look to provide more.”
He said all health boards in Wales have plans to increase the number of beds in every part of wales.
He added: “The virus is moving broadly from east to west, but you will have seen that there are plans in north, west and Swansea dedicated to making sure there are more beds.”
He said a testing centre for up to 200 frontline workers including police and care home staff would open at the Cardiff City Stadium today, and would first be offered to people working in Wales’ worst hit area, Gwent.
“It will be a big logistical effort. You don’t want everyone to be arriving all at the same time,” he said.
Mr Drakeford warned Wales had yet to reach its peak of Covid-19 cases, saying “things are likely to get worse before they get better” despite “some signs” current lockdown measures were working.
Earlier Wales’ chief medical officer, Frank Atherton, had said the stay-at-home message had “flattened the curve” of the spread of coronavirus, and that the peak could come sooner than had previously been anticipated.
On Monday NHS England officials said 403 people – aged between 35 and 106 – died in hospitals in England in just 24 hours. Of those, 15 had no known underlying health condition.
England has recorded the most deaths since the outbreak began (4,897), followed by Scotland (222), Wales (193) and Northern Ireland (63, as of yesterday).
The figure announced on yesterday afternoon does not include those who died at home.
Asked why the ages of those who have died are not being revealed, the First Minister said: “It is about anonymity and privacy of people.
“If only have 166 [deaths] and you break it down, you get to a stage where people can be individually identified.”
BORIS Johnson said yesterday he is still suffering the symptoms of coronavirus after being admitted to hospital on Sunday, more than a week after he first tested positive for the disease.
The Prime Minister remained under observation at St Thomas’ hospital in London last night where he was said to be continuing to work on his official papers from his hospital bed.
It comes as new figures show 5,373 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Sunday. This is up by 439 from 4,934 the day before.
In a tweet, the PM said that he was in “good spirits” after being taken to hospital on the advice of his doctor to undergo some “routine tests”.
“Last night, on the advice of my doctor, I went into hospital for some routine tests as I’m still experiencing coronavirus symptoms,” he said.
“I’m in good spirits and keeping in touch with my team, as we work together to fight this virus and keep everyone safe.”
Earlier Mr Johnson’s official spokesman said he continued to lead the Government after spending a “comfortable” night.
The spokesman, however, declined to give details of any treatment he had received or when he might be discharged.
“The Prime Minister was admitted to hospital for tests last night as a precaution. The issue is that his symptoms remain persistent,” the spokesman said.
“The Prime Minister had a comfortable night at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and is in good spirits. He remains in hospital under observation.”
In Mr Johnson’s absence, the daily government coronavirus meeting was chaired by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State.
However, the PM’s spokesman said that he had received his ministerial red box containing his official papers and was continuing to work from hospital.
“He continues to receive a box. The Prime Minister remains in charge of the Government.”
Mr Raab said that the Prime Minister’s team are “full throttle” in making sure that his directions and instructions are being implemented whilst he is in hospital.
He said: “Look, he’s (Mr Johnson) in charge, but he’ll continue to take doctors’ advice on what to do next.”
He said the team was “full throttle making sure that his directions and his instructions are being implemented and followed through whether it’s the purchase of ventilators through to the diplomatic effort to return UK nationals who are stranded abroad”.
“But as ever, the Prime Minister will take the medical advice that he gets from his doctor.”
Mr Raab said he would not comment on security matters when asked if he had taken over any of the Prime Minister’s security responsibilities.
He said Mr Johnson was being “kept abreast” of developments.
Pressed again on why Mr Johnson is sick enough to be in hospital but well enough to be running the country, Mr Raab said: “That’s something he will decide on the medical advice he’s received from his doctor.”
Professor Whitty said he was not responsible for recommending Mr Johnson went to hospital, and praised the PM’s medical advisers as “outstanding”.
Asked about the pneumonia risk to Mr Johnson, Prof Whitty said: “I’m absolutely not going to discuss any individual patient nor, to be clear, do I have all the details; nor should I as this is an issue between him and his medical advisers.
“I can give a general answer which is the clear majority of people who do end up going to hospital, they end up going into a general bed, they may or may not need oxygen and other things, and they don’t need to go further than that.”
Downing Street has also hit out at Russian “disinformation” after a state-run news agency claimed Boris Johnson would soon be put on a ventilator as he struggles with coronavirus.
Russia’s RIA-Novosti had claimed the Prime Minister would be put on a ventilator, citing a “source close to the leadership” of the NHS.
The PM’s spokesman said: “That is disinformation. Our specialist government units have seen a rise in false and misleading narratives since the coronavirus pandemic started. It’s vital that any disinformation is knocked down quickly.”
Mr Johnson was tested positive for
coronavirus on March 27 and had been self-isolating in the Downing Street flat.
The decision to admit him to hospital was taken on the advice of his doctor as the symptoms of a cough and a high temperature continued to persist more than a week after his original diagnosis.
An ambulance was not called and the spokesman said he was taken the short distance from No 10 by “private transportation” but declined to give any further details. The spokesman stressed, however, that it was “not an emergency admission”.
“His care will be dictated by the doctors who are looking after him,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has recovered from his coronavirus symptoms and is back at work, although Mr Johnson chief adviser Dominic Cummings continues to self-isolate.
First Minister Mark Drakeford, at his press conference yesterday, said:
“I wrote to the Prime Minister on Thursday of the week before last as soon as he fell ill, wishing him a speedy recovery, and want to repeat that today.
“I hope his stay in hospital will be as short as necessary and that he will soon be on the road to recovery.”
Asked if Mr Johnson should continue to lead the UK while he is in hospital, Mr Drakeford said: “I’m sure the Prime Minister will be following advice.
“If the advice from his doctors is he needs to change his working pattern in order to get better, I’m sure he will do that.”
Asked what would happen if he fell ill, Mr Drakeford said: “We have arrangements in place for all Welsh ministers.”
If Vaugan Gething was not able to be Health Minister, Mr Drakeford would fill the role. Julie James would chair the cabinet if the First Minister fell ill.