Coronavirus in Wales: Wrexham death confirmed

The death of a first person in Wales from coronavirus has been called a "first tragedy" for the nation.

The patient, 68, with underlying health conditions, died in Wrexham.

It comes as the UK government advised against non-essential travel and told people to work from home and avoid pubs, clubs and theatres if possible.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the "dramatic and draconian" measures were to protect those greatest at risk.

On the death at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said it was the "first tragedy" but "unfortunately we expect more lives to be lost in the coming weeks ahead".

The person who died had no travel history and had been living at home before their hospital admission.

After the emergency Cobra committee meeting in Whitehall, Mr Gething said the "series of significant measures had been agreed to further slow the spread of coronavirus and to help us to save more lives".

He said there were "really difficult times to come".

Mr Drakeford, in a news briefing in Cardiff, said everyone should be asking themselves about the steps they could take to avoid interaction with large groups of people.

He said it was the advice for the whole population but especially for people over 70, or those who have an underlying health condition or are pregnant.

People with particular health conditions will be getting advice later this week on self-isolation for up to 16 weeks from their GP or specialist.

"All of these measures are designed to save lives, by flattening the peak of coronavirus so health services are better able to respond to them but also to isolate people, for whom getting coronavirus would be particularly challenging."

Mr Drakeford said schools would not close for the time being.

"Schools will continue to be open and that's the right decision at this point but we'll keep it under careful review," he added.

He said many parents worked in the health service and other public services and it was best that they currently kept on working rather than being at home looking after their children.

Earlier, the Welsh Government defended its decision to restrict coronavirus screening to the most symptomatic.

Mr Drakeford said the advice of all four UK chief medical officers was that mass testing is not the "most sensible" use of scare resources in the health service.

The first minister said no government had the power to ban mass gatherings, but the advice given made their practical possibility much less likely.

He said a bill to be published Thursday would contain further powers for governments to act in ways they have previously not been able to.

He said it was "very important" to say that for most the virus will be an "imposition but not more than that".

"There will be people who get it and not know they have it", but explained the way people who have a mild impact behave will have a big impact on those for whom it can be more serious.

Earlier, Mr Drakeford said: "I am deeply saddened that a person in Wales who had coronavirus has died. My heartfelt condolences are with their family and friends.  

"We continue to work hard to respond to this fast changing situation, as the impact of the virus continues to increase in the days and weeks ahead."

Chief medical officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton said: "It is with regret that today I am confirming a patient in Wales has sadly died after contracting Covid-19."

He offered his "sincere condolences" to family and friends and asked for their request for privacy to be respected.

It brings the UK total of deaths to 36.

Before the emergency meeting, Mr Gething said the death "underscores the importance of the challenge we face across the rest of the UK and indeed the wider world. It also, for me, reinforces the need to make choices based on evidence to try to save as many lives as possible."

He added: "There is no single easy answer, the choice we are about to discuss now, and the choices I'll be discussing in our National Assembly for Wales tomorrow, will be all be based on the evidence of how to make the biggest difference. But unfortunately we expect more lives to be lost in the coming weeks ahead."

Earlier, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales had reached 124.

However, the true number of cases is likely to be higher as officials are concentrating on testing those sick enough to need hospital treatment.

Public Health Wales (PHW) added condolences to the family affected by this loss.

"No further details regarding this individual will be released, and we ask those reporting on the situation to respect patient confidentiality," said Dr Giri Shankar, PHW incident director.

"Thirty new cases have today tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 124," he added.

"We are reminding the public that people no longer need to contact NHS 111 if they think they may have contracted Covid-19. Instead, anyone who has a high temperature or a new continuous cough should stay at home for seven days. They should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital."

Meanwhile, the Treasury outlined that the Welsh Government would receive £475m as part of a package of funding for devolved administrations to help people and businesses.

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