Number of patients in hospital lowest since pandemic start – with warning of “extraordinary winter” ahead

The number of patients being treated for coronavirus in hospitals in Wales is at its lowest since the start of the pandemic.

At today’s now weekly Welsh Government briefing, Health Minister Vaughan Gething stated there are six people in critical care and 422 with the virus in hospital.

This is down from the height of the pandemic in April when there was 1335 either confirmed and suspected cases in Wales’ hospitals receiving treatment.

The number of positive tests has also continued to fall with the health minister stating that of 6200 tests carried over Sunday, 15 were positive – positivity rate of two 0.2 per cent.

Over the last two weeks there have been a number of days were no COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in Wales.

However the latest ONS figures show almost 2500 people have died from coronavirus since March

An update on the number of patients who have been discharged from hospital wasn’t provided. However figures provided by NHS Chief Executive Andrew Goodall last month show that has been more than 7,000.

However the health minister warned that whilst the prevalence of the virus in Wales was currently low, it is expected that it will be an “extraordinary winter” for the Welsh NHS and public.

Plans on how to protect the health and social care service from any second wave of the virus during the autumn and winter is already underway, including using the “rainbow hospitals”, creating COVID free zones for routine care and ensuring that more people receive the flu vaccine.

It also includes a trial system being carried out in Cardiff which requires people to phone before attending A&E.

Mr Gething said: Many you will be aware of the Academy of Medical Sciences report last week. They published a paper warning about a large resurgence of Coronavirus this winter, combined with disruption to the health and care system, a backlog of non-coronavirus cases and a possible flu epidemic.

“So NHS Wales is already planning for winter. This includes making use of field hospitals, which of course were built in a matter of weeks across Wales.

“It also means making full use of new technology that we have introduced recently and in some cases, using services in a different way to make sure we get the right care in the right place at the right time.

“Our NHS is also of course focused on flu planning, looking closely at how the winter flu vaccine program can be delivered to take account of the needs of vulnerable people and children and whether we need to have an expanded flu vaccine program this winter.

“Primary Care and GP practice in particular have been using new video consultation technology during the pandemic. Primary Care has been at the forefront of our coronavirus response. And the ability of practitioners to adapt to new ways of working and to reorganise their approach during this time is a testament to the resilience of our services and the people who work in them.”