Thirty new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed today by Public Health Wales.

Caerphilly County Borough has three new cases bringing its total to 14.

The total number of cases in Wales is 124.

GP surgeries across the county borough are advising patients not to attend unless they are told to do so, according to a tweet from the Neighbourhood Health Network team at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Caerphilly Observer also understands that some schools are preparing for a shutdown at the end of this week – and possibly as early as Wednesday.

The council said there are no plans at present to close any schools.

A spokesman said: “Caerphilly County Borough Council continues to follow advice from key agencies such as Welsh Government and Public Health Wales. If the advice changes then we will obviously respond accordingly.

“In terms of our wider response, we are ensuring that our business continuity plans are updated and ready to be implemented if and when the advice changes.

“Until then we are working hard to deliver normal services.”

What to do if you have symptoms of Covid-19

People who have symptoms of Covid-19 are being asked to self-isolate for seven days and only call NHS 111 if they cannot cope.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director at Public Health Wales, said: “People no longer need to contact NHS 111 if they think they may have contracted Novel Coronavirus (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.

“They should only contact NHS 111 if they feel they cannot cope with their symptoms at home, their condition gets worse, or their symptoms do not get better after seven days.

“The public play an important role in this new phase. By following the latest advice, you will protect yourself, protect the most vulnerable, and delay and flatten the peak, which will reduce the pressure on NHS Wales and minimise the impact of the virus.”

Calls to ramp up testing

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has called on the Welsh Government to ramp up community testing for Covid-19.

Mr Price said: “This is an increasingly concerning time for everyone. People across Wales are taking sensible steps to self-isolate if they show symptoms of a new persistent cough or fever.

“It is vital that we grow public confidence by providing as much clarity as possible over the outbreak. That is why we are asking the Labour Government to clarify the situation regarding surveillance testing – a means of providing a fuller picture of the true extent of the outbreak.”

However, Dr Shankar from Public Health Wales said the move away from community testing would free up capacity.

She said: “The move into the ‘delay’ phase, will include working closely with health boards, NHS 111 and the Welsh Government towards transitioning away from community testing and contact tracing. Testing will now focus on cases admitted to hospital, in line with national guidance, and based on symptoms and severity.

“The move away from community testing gives us greater capacity to test in hospital settings, where the most vulnerable patients will be cared for.

“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.”

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