'We've squashed the curve' Chief Medical Officer says lockdown measures have helped contain coronavirus in Wales
Wales' Chief Medical Officer has told ITV News the cases of coronavirus are "moving in the right trajectory" as people across the country adhere to the government's lockdown measures.
The restrictions, which limit people's movements, were put in place to keep the number of patients at a manageable level for hospitals - known as "flattening the curve."
Last week, the First Minister announced the rules were to be extended for the whole of the UK for another three weeks.
In an interview on Wales at Six, Dr Frank Atherton said, "In the current wave of transmission that we are in, we haven't just flattened the curve, we've completely squashed the curve.
"That's been done by the lockdown - it means that our transmission within the community is much less and we're already seeing some plateauing at the kind of figures we look at.
"Those are around the number of cases that test positive, the number of patients that are admitted to hospital, the number of patients being admitted into intensive care and unfortunately the number of cases that die - and all of those numbers are moving in the right trajectory."
He added, "That speaks volumes to the people of Wales who are acting responsibly and following the rules around the lockdown because that is reducing transmission, and that is saving lives."
The latest figures show there are more than 8,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Wales - with 274 new cases reported on 22 April.
Fifteen more people were confirmed to have died, bringing the total number to 624.
More than 28,000 people have been tested for the virus so far in Wales, with priority given to healthcare workers and other frontline staff.
On the issue of testing, Dr Atherton said they are focused increasing testing but there were "major challenges" around supplies.
"We want to do 5,000 tests a day and we're currently at about 1300. What is important though is about how we use those tests, what they are prioritised for and to understand the transmission of the virus so we can plan our way out of these difficult times."
Watch the interview with Andrea Byrne here:
Analysis by ITV Wales Health Reporter James Crichton-Smith
Wales's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Frank Atherton, is probably feeling quite pleased with what he is seeing when it comes to how the country is dealing with coronavirus.
In his words, "we've completely squashed the curve".
So what does that mean?
Well you have to go back to the start of the pandemic to see why 'squashing the curve' is such an important thing.
The biggest fear among doctors - and pretty much everyone who has followed the virus's progress - has been that the number of coronavirus cases could simply overwhelm the NHS. If that happens it would mean that people needing care for the virus would potentially not have access to the treatment they need to stand the best chance of fighting it off.
So far, that appears not to have happened.
This is a success, but remember we are still in lockdown.
The lockdown was designed to flatten the curve. It seems to have done that.
The next challenge is to release the lockdown measures and ensure the curve remains flattened and the coronavirus cases remain manageable for the NHS. It's a bit like letting water out of a reservoir and not wanting the towns and villages downstream to flood. Ease lockdown too quickly (let too much water out) and new cases could overwhelm the NHS (towns and villages flooded).
This is what Frank Atherton will be watching closely for as lockdown measures are eased.
If there is a sense that the NHS is at risk of being swamped, do not be surprised if tighter restrictions are imposed again.
Yes we seem to be squashing the curve - but we can't live in lockdown forever.