Pandemic updates from the Welsh Government

 

Latest coronavirus updates from the Welsh Government (dated yesterday) are:

• The £180m Economic Resilience Fund sector-specific fund to support tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses affected by coronavirus restrictions will open for applications at 12pm on Wednesday (13 January).
• The funding, originally announced in December, is part of a wider £450m package of support which the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well as their supply chain can access and will provide vital support to thousands of firms impacted by alert level three and four restrictions.
• https://gov.wales/180-million-fund-hospitality-leisure-and-tourism-businesses-opens-week
• The fund will be open for two weeks or until fully committed.
• Eligibility checker: https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/sectorspecificgrant/
• The United Arab Emirates are being removed from the list of exempt countries and territories, so travellers from those countries will need to isolate on arrival in Wales https://gov.wales/written-statement-amendments-health-protection-coronavirus-international-travel-wales-regulations-0
• Health Minister Vaughan Gething’s oral statement to the Senedd about the Vaccine Strategy is available at https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/11146#A63750
• Updated: Alert level four frequently asked questions: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4-frequently-asked-questions

 

Coronavirus in numbers

• The latest figures published by Public Health Wales today show there have been 1,332 newly reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 172,879 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
• Very sadly, there were 16 deaths reported by Public Health Wales today. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 3,997.
• These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

• The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is being published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
• 91,239 people have received their first dose of the vaccine
• 97 people have received two doses of the vaccine
• https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

 

• The Office for National Statistics has today published statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19, for the week ending 1 January 2021.
• The cumulative number of deaths involving Covid-19 in Welsh residents up to 1 January was 5,169.
• Of the deaths registered in the week ending 1 January, there were provisionally 310 deaths involving Covid-19; this was 32 more than the previous week – numbers are now at a similar level to early May.
• For the period 29 February 2020 to 1 January 2021, there were a total of 4,109 excess deaths (15%) above the five-year average. The excess death rate for Wales for the period 29 February 2020 to 1 January 2021 overall was lower than in England.
• The numbers reported by ONS are different from those from Public Health Wales because of different reporting methods and timing. The ONS figures are higher because they include some extra cases.
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest

 

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

• The symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change in smell or taste.
• If you have symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, you must self-isolate at home for 10 days from when your symptoms started.
• Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus
• Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
• You should arrange to have a test to see if you have coronavirus once you are self-isolating. You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test
• You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result.
• Got a question about what to do if you’ve got coronavirus? Visit https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus
   

Where to find the latest information

• Information about the new national measures in place in Wales is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4

• Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://covid19-phwstatement.nhs.wales/
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Questions about Covid-19 vaccines? Visit: https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/
• Information about support for businesses is available at the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• The Welsh Government holds a regular media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and supported by a BSL interpreter. These are held at 12.15pm and live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel.