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No decisions have yet been made over whether Wales will scrap its remaining Covid measures from next week, the Health Minister has said.
Earlier this month, the Welsh Government said all remaining measures could be lifted in Wales after March 28, if the situation remained favourable.
The Welsh Government is set to meet this week to review the current measures, amid a backdrop of rising numbers of cases – with the outcome of the review set to be announced on Thursday evening.
Speaking at the Welsh Government’s press briefing on Tuesday, March 22, Health Minister Eluned Morgan blamed this recent increase on the BA.2 subtype of Omicron, which she said is more transmissible than Omicron, but similar in severity.
It is now the dominant strain of the virus in Wales.
Mrs Morgan said: “Since the end of January, we have seen a steady decline in cases of coronavirus as the winter Omicron wave receded but we are now, once again, seeing a marked increase in cases across Wales.”
She added: “This is a slightly different form of the virus than the one which caused the huge wave of cases over the Christmas and New Year period. All the signs show it is even more transmissible and faster moving than the original Omicron variant and re-infection rates are high – so even if you’ve had Covid before, unfortunately it won’t mean you are immune to BA2.
“We had expected to see a rise in case rates as we gradually relaxed protections but the BA2 sub-type is pushing infections up rapidly.”
Mrs Morgan said the decision on whether or not to relax restrictions will be “challenging” but said any new pressures that could be faced by the NHS will be considered.
Darren Hughes, Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said: “Thanks to the Omicron subtype, recorded cases per 100,000 of the population have more than doubled in three weeks, with one in every 25 people likely to be infected.
What is the Welsh NHS Confederation?
The Welsh NHS Confederation is a body made up of the seven health boards and three NHS trusts in Wales, as well as Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW).
According to its website, the Welsh NHS Confederation “support[s] our members to improve health and wellbeing by working with them to deliver high standards of care for patients and best value for taxpayers’ money.
“We act as a driving force for positive change through strong representation and our policy, influencing and engagement work.”
“We understand people are ‘Covid-fatigued’ at this point in the pandemic, but the pressure on the NHS is still very real.”
He added: “Even if legal Covid measures are lifted in Wales following the next three-week review, we must all take responsibility for our actions and continue to take protective measures where possible, including taking up the offer of vaccination.”
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