May 11, 2021 - 707 views
Daily updates on Covid cases from around Wales will be paused shortly to reflect the low number of cases which are now being reported.
Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:
“From Friday 14 May, Public Health Wales will no longer be publishing a daily statement each day. The last statement will be published on Thursday 13 May.
“Going forward, news relating to the pandemic will be communicated to the public via the News section of the Public Health Wales website, and to the media via press releases.
“These changes will not affect our surveillance dashboard, which will continue to report six days a week. Our social media posts announcing case numbers and deaths will also continue.
“We will maintain the ability to reintroduce the daily statement if necessary.
In Tuesday's update from Public Health Wales, one new COVID-19 related fatality has been reported. In addition, 30 new cases of the virus have come to light.
The only county in North Wales to report was Flintshire with one new case.
Commenting on concerns about variants, Dr Shankar continued: “The variant B.1.617.2, one of the variants first identified in India, has been designated as a Variant of Concern (VOC21APR-02) due to its high transmissibility, which is comparable to the Kent variant. There is no evidence of wider community transmission of this variant in Wales, and the Kent variant remains the dominant strain here.
“Coronavirus cases by variant in Wales are reported on the UK Government website.
“On Friday 7 May, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its advice on the use of the COVID-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged under 40. JCVI advice is followed in Wales.
“The advice states that unvaccinated adults aged 30 - 39 years who are not in a clinical priority group because of long term health conditions, should where possible be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, where it would not significantly delay vaccination.
“JCVI is not advising against using AstraZeneca vaccine in 30-39 year olds, only that other vaccines are preferred. JCVI advise that anyone who has already received a first dose of AstraZeneca should continue to receive the same vaccine for their second dose, there are no clotting safety concerns with the second dose. It is the second dose which gives stronger and longer protection. Our statement in response to the latest advice is available to view on our website.
JCVI also recently advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.
“As there is more experience of the use of the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in pregnancy those vaccines are therefore the preferred vaccines to offer to pregnant women.
“Welsh Government also announced that, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), people over 16 who live with individuals with severely weakened immune systems should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations as a priority.
“We would remind the general public that it is still extremely important to follow social distancing and hygiene measures to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus. That is, staying 2m from anyone you don’t live with, washing hands regularly and wearing face coverings in indoor settings.
“Current information on the Welsh Government restrictions for Coronavirus are available at https://gov.wales/coronavirus
“If you are contacted by your local TTP team then it is important that you are truthful with them about where you have been and who you have met. They are not there to judge, they are there to help prevent ongoing transmission of the virus and to protect the community.
“If you are asked to self-isolate by your local TTP team then please ensure that you do so for the full ten days – this will help break any chains of transmission.
“We urge anyone over 50 who has not yet received an invite for their vaccination to contact their local health board. Details of which can be found here: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed
“We encourage everyone, whatever their background, social demographic and ethnicity, to have the vaccine when they are offered it.
“If you or a member of your household develop a cough, fever or change in sense of taste or smell, you must self-isolate immediately and book a free Coronavirus test, either by calling 119 or by visiting www.gov.wales/getting-tested-coronavirus-covid-19. Please check your local health board’s website to see if there are additional symptoms that require a test.”
