Expert advice there as it’s most needed

NOW is a very good time to be listening to experts. There are legitimate and serious concerns about how the coronavirus has developed across different parts of Wales.

Whereas we once saw the vast majority of cases in the south east, especially around Aneurin Bevan Health Board, the epicentre now appears to be shifting north via the Valleys.

Though Cardiff and Newport have had more total cases than the Betsi Cadwaldr area, the gap appears to be shrinking fast. Since the start of May, cases in north Wales have outstripped all other parts of Wales for the last 10 days.

This would certainly seem to suggest that the north of our country is not yet passed the peak and people are concerned.

This is understandable. With England relaxing many of its lockdown rules we have already seen people crossing the border despite the lockdown still being in place here.

People are also worried that politicians, seeing the R value below 1 for Wales as a whole, may lift restrictions at a time that could be most damaging for people in north Wales. And, while these concerns are legitimate, valid and understandable, the issue does need to be seen in context.

Dr Andrew Goodall, chief executive of NHS Wales, pointed to an increase in testing capacity as a potential reason for the spike in cases in the north. This is not to underplay the rise in cases, but if more testing is being done it may not be that the number of people with the virus is spiking, just that we now know they are there.

A good measure that Dr Goodall has pointed to is the amount of people with Covid-19 taking up critical care beds. He said that north Wales hospitals’ critical care beds were “seeing less occupancy than the peak two or three weeks ago”.

This adds weight to the theory it is an increase in testing, not an increase in cases, that has caused the spike.

By no means does this allow us to drop our vigilance. There is still no cure for Covid-19. There is still no vaccine. As a species we are just as vulnerable to the virus as we were in February. All we can do is follow the best advice, and listen to experts.

And those experts such as Dr Goodall are telling us that the NHS remains “open and available for people who need it”. It means suffering real health concerns in silence is not an option – seek the help that is there.