Six further deaths as coronavirus cases in Wales rise to 741

Six further people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths across the country to 28.

Public Health Wales said an additional 113 people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 741.

Dr Robin Howe, from Public Health Wales, said: “113 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 741, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.

“Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is now circulating in every part of Wales.

“Six further deaths have been reported to us of people who had tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the number of deaths in Wales to 28.

“We offer our condolences to the family and friends affected, and we ask those reporting on the situation to respect patient confidentiality.”

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Public Health Wales said there are now 741 confirmed cases across Wales Credit: PA

Wales' Chief Medical Officer, Dr Frank Atherton, told a press conference on Thursday morning that coronavirus was now "circulating widely" in all parts of Wales, though this could currently be "to a higher degree" in south Wales.

He told the briefing around 80% of people will contract Covid-19 at some point, with the current measures put in place to give the NHS time to get ready.

"At some point, once the interventions that we've put in place here in Wales and in the UK are lifted, there is a risk that people will then start to become infected again," Dr Atherton said.

"And so the way in which we release those measures will be very critical.

"What we're doing at the moment is watching other countries which have put these quite repressive measures in place, to see what happens when they lift - how quickly can we lift those measures?

"These are all unanswered questions, but everybody is vulnerable because nobody has experienced this virus before - it's a new virus to humanity."