Wales confirms 30 more coronavirus cases taking the UK’s total number of infected patients to 1,421 as 35 have died of the disease
- The total number of cases in Wales is now 124, the government announced after declaring 30 new ones
- It adds to 1,099 infections in England, 153 in Scotland and 45 in Northern Ireland
- UK death toll stands at 35 after 14 more victims were announced on Sunday, aged between 59 and 94
- Do you have a coronavirus story? Email [email protected]
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Advertisement
There are now a total of 1,421 confirmed coronavirus patients in the UK after Wales confirmed a further 30 this afternoon.
This brings the country’s total to 124 and takes the UK-wide figure above 1,400. More are expected to be declared in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland later today.
British authorities are no longer testing everyone who might have the disease, and are restricting tests to those who are seriously ill or are already in hospital.
Government officials last week said the true number of people who have been infected in the UK is more likely between 5,000 and 10,000 already.
And Downing Street is under mounting pressure to take firmer action such as banning large gatherings, a move it’s expected to bring in later this week.
People are already battening down the hatches and working from home, if photos of train stations and high streets this morning are to be believed, as the normally bustling cities of Bristol, Nottingham and London were pictured eerily quiet.
A total of 1,421 people in the UK are now confirmed to have caught the coronavirus. The death toll stands at 35 after a further 14 were announced on Sunday
Dr Giri Shankar, Public Health Wales’s incident director for the epidemic, said: ‘We can confirm that 30 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 124.’
He added: ‘While there is no longer a need to identify every case through community testing, we will still need to and will be able to report on Novel Coronavirus level in Wales.
‘In a similar way to our seasonal flu reporting, we will be undertaking routine Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) surveillance which will help us understand the picture in Wales.
‘We will therefore continue in the short term to report numbers of confirmed cases, which will give us some indication of the picture in Wales.’
Wales’s regional breakdown shows Swansea has the most coronavirus cases, with 23. It is followed by 14 in Caerphilly, 14 in Newport and 11 apiece in Cardiff and Port Talbot.
