Covid: Doctor says we are 'half way down the mountain' but now isn't the time to be complacent
A doctor based in one of the communities worst hit by coronavirus has said we are "half way down the mountain" but new variants of the virus mean we can not be complacent.
Dr Stuart Hackwell oversees care in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
Rhondda Cynon Taf was one of the areas worst hit by coronavirus in Wales but the case rate has now dipped to its lowest point for more than four months.
Dr Hackwell said "Over the last few weeks we've started to see a reduction in the number of admissions to local hospitals. More recently we've seen a reduction in the number of patients in ITU.
"We've got about four patients in ITU. We've got just over 30 patients who have got active infections of Covid and about 50 odd who are recovering from Covid.
"That's a much better position than we were in just before Christmas where we were seeing double those numbers."
Despite things "improving" Dr Hackwell said it was important we do not become complacent about the risk Covid still poses.
He said: "We're hopefully about half way down the mountain form where we were but the same messages of continuing to social distance, wash your hands and cover your face are all still there.
"In Rhondda Cynon Taf we're at about 100 cases per 100,000 at the moment which, considering we were somewhere around the 800s just before Christmas, that's a really great place to be.
But that's still higher than we would consider low - we're still at a very high level of infection rates."