Coronavirus Test, Trace, Protect service in Wales boosted to cope with winter demand
The contact tracing workforce in Wales will almost double to help meet demand through the winter, the health minister said today.
Vaughan Gething announced new funding of £15.7m to boost the Test, Trace, Protect service.
The money will be used to increase the number of contact tracing staff in Wales from 1,800 to 3,100 in time for an expected rise in demand in December and through to the end of March.
A new all-Wales team is also being set-up to support local teams when they have a surge in cases.
The health minister said contract tracing is a "key part" of Wales' response to the pandemic, but the service comes under greater pressure as more people get coronavirus.
There are fears that coronavirus combined with winter pressures could have a serious impact on the NHS in Wales.
Mr Gething said: “The contact tracing system in Wales has performed well so far, with over 90 per cent of contacts being traced successfully since it started.
"We have used the fire-break period to review Test, Trace, Protect to enable us to maintain and improve performance as we head into what we expect will be a difficult winter, with the possibility that cases will increase.
“This extra funding will allow local contact tracing teams to increase the number of contact tracers and advisers for the busy winter period."
Mr Gething also said that from Monday, people who are on low incomes will be able to apply for a £500 payment if they have to self-isolate.
Mr Gething also told journalists: "We have started to see some early signs of a reduction in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus.
"Unfortunately, we are still seeing a significant number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms, which continues to put pressure on NHS services, including critical care beds.
"There has been no reduction in the number of people dying from coronavirus – this week we have again seen large numbers of deaths."
Cases of coronavirus have risen steadily in Wales since September but are starting to come down.
The overall Wales rate has now fallen back to around 170 cases per 100,000 people, the health minister said.
The trend is down in every part of Wales, he added, except in Ceredigion, where cases are rising largely because of an outbreak in a care home.
Mr Gething warned: "It is still too early to see the impact of the fire-break on coronavirus but these are positive early signs.
"We need keep building on this and make sure as we don’t slip back as we come out of the fire-break.
"We all want to put coronavirus behind us. But unfortunately, we can’t behave as though it doesn’t exist."
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