There have been 17 new coronavirus deaths in Wales, Public Health Wales has confirmed in today's latest figures.

That takes the total number of coronavirus deaths to 1,224.

There were 166 new cases, taking the total to 12,570.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

An outdoor education centre in Monmouthshire could be used as temporary emergency accommodation for up to nine homeless people during the coronavirus crisis.

The use of Gilwern Outdoor Education Centre, near Abergavenny, would help tackle a shortage of such accommodation as the council tries to find homes for increasing numbers of vulnerable people, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A council report, external says it has made 101 offers of accommodation to vulnerable people, equating to 14 each week - three times the average number of inquiries - since March.

The council’s cabinet is recommended to agree the temporary use at a meeting next week.

The council is also considering wider pedestrian areas, allowing businesses to expand into the street and other social distancing measures for its town centres.

Image source, Andy Dolman | Geograph

Mr Gething accepts some people could be shielding unnecessarily after receiving so-called shielding letters from the Welsh Government in error.

The letters from the chief medical officer are for those with serious underlying health conditions and advise people to stay at home for 12 weeks.

The health minister has previously apologised after letters were sent to wrong addresses.

Responding to anecdotal evidence that people could be shielding unnecessarily after receiving letters in error, Mr Gething said “a handful” of instances had been brought to his attention but it was “impossible” to provide an accurate figure.

“It is possible that some people will have been sent, incorrectly, a shielding letter. We don’t think that there is a system-wide failure and that there are large categories of people who have got the wrong letter,” he said.

The minister also conceded that some of the 121,000 such letters could have been sent to the wrong person.

He added that there was specific advice on the Welsh Government website, external about who to contact if an individual has received a shielding letter and believes that they are in the wrong category.

The rate at which coronavirus is reproducing in Wales "increased slightly" last week, according to the Welsh Government's scientific advisors.

The Technical Advisory Cell (TAC) said the consensus view, external was the reproduction rate - known as the R number - in Wales was between 0.7 and 1 - up from between 0.7 and 0.9 the previous week.

The paper adds that while R is "almost certain to be under 1, it could be close to it".

Ministers have said the rate of transmission of the coronavirus will be a big factor in determining when the lockdown will be eased, and it wants to keep it below 1.

Previous analysis published by the Welsh Government said an R number of 0.8 could mean a further 800 deaths by the start of August, but if it rose to 1.1 there could be 7,200 deaths.

TAC's latest summary of evidence said a slightly increased R of between 0.7 and 1 "is similar across the four nations of the UK".

The paper from 12 May also says there is "evidence that the virus is likely to be stable for long periods of time on indoor surfaces and in air".

The scientific advice for the Welsh Government says evidence suggests Covid-19 decays quicker "with higher temperature and humidity".

The Welsh Government "should be prepared to change the choices we make" on tackling the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Gething said.

The health minister explained why two new symptoms were added to the list yesterday.

"We know more about coronavirus now than we did a week ago, a lot more than we knew about coronavirus six weeks, or even three months ago," he said.

"And as the evidence base changes, it's really important that we are prepared to change the choices we make."

The loss of a sense of smell and taste were added to the list of symptoms, along with a high temperature and a new, continuous cough.

Mr Gething says the Welsh Government will continue to look at evidence from around the world - particularly as global lock down restrictions are eased.

There will be “teething bumps” in a UK-wide coronavirus home-testing scheme due to a “high level of demand” in the first few days, Wales' health minister has said.

The Welsh government is taking part in the scheme, but the UK government website showed at Tuesday lunchtime that there were no home kits available.

The website also showed there was no availability for the public to go to a drive-in testing centre in Wales, although key workers can book a test.

“We need to make sure that there is the right sort of capacity and as we increase it, it means that people can actually order the test that they're looking for,” Vaughan Gething said.

“We’re deliberately looking to set out to make sure that the access is improved, to make sure that we do understand the teething bumps - to make sure we're ready for test-trace protect when it's going to need to be undertaken on a much larger level."

Relaxing coronavirus restrictions to allow people to meet loved ones not in the same household outdoors is being considered by the Welsh Government, the health minister has confirmed.

The next review of the regulations is due towards the end of next week.

Vaughan Gething's comments follow advice just published from the scientific group advising ministers.

The Technical Advisory Cell (TAC), said on 12 May that Covid-19 was "very likely to decay very quickly [a few minutes] in air and on surfaces when exposed to sunlight.

"This adds to the evidence that outdoor environments are highly likely to be a lower risk for transmission," the advice had said.

In Northern Ireland, groups of up to six people who do not share a household are being allowed to meet outdoors, and in England people can meet one other person from outside their household outdoors.

Mr Gething said ministers were having a "very real debate" on "how we can continue to take a deliberately cautious approach to unlocking the lockdown measures to make sure we don't risk the health and safety of the people of Wales”.

The government is required to review the lockdown regulations every three weeks - with the next review on 28 May.

A Wales-wide system of contact tracing will be piloted in four health board areas, according to the Health Minister.

Mr Gething said the system would track the progression of the disease by tracing who each person with coronavirus has been in contact with.

The trials would run for two weeks and would be "small scale".

"We will pilot contact tracing in four health board areas – in Cwm Taf Morgannwg, Powys, Betsi Cadwaladr and Hywel Dda - and each pilot will be delivered by a local authority and their staff," he said.

"They will test the key aspects, including workforce roles and training, contact volumes, clinical support, data capture and information flow, scenario planning and arrangements to support people who need help to self-isolate.

"The second week of the trial will also help us to test a new all-Wales contact tracing software system, which will support health boards and local authorities to carry out contact tracing on a larger scale."

Everyone in Wales with symptoms of coronavirus can request a home testing kit using a new UK-wide website booking system, Health Minister Vaughan Gething confirmed at the Welsh Government's daily briefing.

He said this was "a major step forward in increasing coronavirus testing".

It means anyone aged five or over with symptoms can now be tested for coronavirus - and that it would help identify "where the virus is and how it is spreading across Wales".

On coronavirus symptoms, Mr Gething said these now included loss of smell and taste.

He said a national 119 bilingual telephone service is also available for people to order a home testing kit.

"We anticipate there will be a high level of demand for home testing kits over the first few days," he explained.

"The UK government has confirmed priority will be given to home testing kits for critical workers and it will be working to increase home testing capacity for the public."

The coronavirus cannot be eradicated, the House of Lords has heard.

Prof David Robertson, head of viral genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Glasgow, told the House's Science and Technology Committee that Covid-19 was a highly successful virus.

He said: "It is so transmissible, it's so successful, we're so susceptible, that actually it's a little bit of a red herring to worry about it getting worse, because it couldn't be much worse at the moment in terms of the numbers of cases."

He contrasted coronavirus with Ebola, which killed many more of the people it infected but was therefore easier to control as people stopped spreading it.

"This virus is infecting so many people with asymptomatic to mild symptoms that it's almost uncontrollable.

"I think we have to be clear that we're not going to be able to eradicate this virus. It's going to settle into the human population and in several years it will become a normal virus."

There was also a warning that people who have had coronavirus may not develop significant immunity.

John Edmunds, professor of infectious disease modelling at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said evidence from survivors of Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a different form of coronavirus) suggested immunity-giving antibodies reduced over time.

"So that's potentially bad news for us, that immunity may not last that long against this virus," he said.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething will take today's live Welsh government daily news conference, which is set to start at 12:30 BST.

You can follow the briefing live on BBC One Wales or by using the link at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

As lockdown measures are gradually being eased, the advice on not to touch our face is being reinforced by health experts.

We spoke to a psychologist about the habit at the centre of the spread of coronavirus.

The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits in Wales leapt in April, the first full month of the coronavirus lockdown.

There were 103,869 claimants compared with 58,576 in March.

It took the claimant rate from 3.9% of the Welsh workforce to 6.8%, compared with 5.8% across the UK.

The UK total soared to 2.1 million in April, an increase of 856,500, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Meanwhile, Welsh manufacturers have told BBC Wales that they expect a "gradual" return to production.

Image source, Getty Images

Sarah Dickins
BBC Wales Economics Correspondent

Today's claimant count statistics show what happened in the labour market 10 days after lockdown.

They are the most dramatic figures we have had so far about the economic impact of strategies to combat coronavirus.

Additionally, they are actual numbers of people in Wales who are getting benefits because they are out of work whereas unemployment figures are based on a survey.

It must be remembered that they are a short-term snapshot and could be reversed.

However, what is not known is how many of the workers presently furloughed and paid 80% to stay at home will be taken back into work, and how many will lose their jobs when the furlough scheme is reduced or comes to an end.

Figures also published today by the ONS show a steep fall in the number of job vacancies across the UK.

Between February and April they fell by 170,000 to 637,000, a record fall across three months.

While today's unemployment figures for the first three months of 2020 showed an increase of 4,000 in the total for Wales, and a rate of 3.2%, the same set of statistics published next month are likely to see a greater increase.

Image source, Getty Images

There have now been a total of 1,852 deaths in Wales involving coronavirus, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

The statistics cover the period up to 8 May, involving deaths registered up to 16 May.

In Wales, there were 211 registered deaths in the week ending 8 May involving Covid-19, accounting for 30.5% of all deaths registered.

This is a smaller weekly total than the previous week, which was 281.

There has now been a total of 507 deaths in care homes.

Cardiff has had the largest number of Covid-19 deaths in Wales so far - 303, followed by Rhondda Cynon Taff with 224 up to 8 May.

But RCT has the highest death rate - when different sizes of population are taken into account - 93.28 deaths per 100,000 people.

Merthyr Tydfil is next with a death rate of 91.39 per 100,000 (55 deaths so far).

When you look at the deaths in north Wales - across the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area - over the last few weeks, the figure of 40 deaths is the lowest weekly total for more than a month. There have been a total of 262 deaths so far in the region, 40 of these in care homes. Flintshire still has the highest number of deaths in north Wales, with 79.

Overall, the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending 8 May was 12,657, falling for the third week running.

But this is still 3,081 more than the five-year average.

The number of deaths overall in Wales fell from 929 in the week ending 1 May to 692 in the week ending 8 May - but this was still 80 deaths higher than the five-year average.

ONS reports all deaths registered weekly - this includes suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 and in all places, including care homes and in people's homes.

So the figure is higher than the number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales for the same period - 1,099, which mainly involves only confirmed cases in hospitals.

Both the Welsh and UK governments have been urged to “keep faith” with the arts beyond the end of the current furlough scheme, which is due to end in October.

According to Nick Capaldi, chief executive of the Arts Council of Wales,, external thousands of people who work in the arts and creative industries in Wales have taken advantage of the scheme.

He told members of the Senedd Culture, Welsh Language and Communications committee that financial support should continue where needed.

"I don’t think within the grand scheme of things these are vast sums of money, but in our sector they are essential in keeping these individuals and organisations in play," Mr Capaldi said.

Many artists have been offering their content online during the lockdown, although Mr Capaldi admitted this has had varying degrees of success.

"The current rush to digital has pros and cons; there has been some excellent work and that has reached new audiences but there has also been some less good work,” he said.

“One of the most difficult and challenging things to do with digital work is to find a way - and it’s that ugly word - of monetising that work.

"At the end of the day I don’t know a single organisation or artist that would not rather be in front of a live audience, rather than sitting in their bedroom communing with a screen."

Image source, Getty Images

Claims for universal credit - the benefit for working-age people in the UK - hit a record monthly level in the early weeks of lockdown.

There were 1.5 million claims made between 13 March and 9 April, official figures, external from the Department for Work and Pensions have confirmed.

This is six times more than the same period last year.

The data comes as separate figures showed the number of people claiming unemployment benefit soared in April.

Image source, Reuters

Large firms who borrow from the UK taxpayer to help them through the Covid-19 crisis will be banned from paying bonuses and dividends, according to the Treasury and the Bank of England.

The limit on the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme has been lifted from £50m to £200m.

Firms who want more than £50m will face restrictions until the loan is repaid.

The Bank of England will implement the restrictions on the scheme it runs as well as seeking a letter from firms who wish to borrow for more than a year.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Wales

The public have been warned to expect "glitches" during the first days of Wales' involvement in a UK-wide coronavirus home-testing scheme, Wales' chief medical officer says.

Wales has joined a UK government-run testing website and anyone over the age of five should now be able to order tests if they have symptoms.

"Big, large-scale programmes do sometimes have glitches," Dr Frank Atherton told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"We expect that in the first days of this testing - and that came online just yesterday.

"Generally speaking, we see very high demand when a new system like this is first brought into play and then it kind of tails off a little bit.

"So I think the next day or two will be quite telling but we'll learn a lot by doing that and the system, as ever, needs to improve as we go."

Image source, Getty Images

The total number of people dying in England and Wales is continuing to fall, figures show.

The Office for National Statistic review of deaths in the week ending 8 May showed there were 12,600 deaths - a third were linked to coronavirus.

This is down from a peak of 22,000 at the height of the pandemic - although it is still above what would be expected at this time of the year.

Drops in the number of deaths were seen in care homes and elsewhere.

The ONS data looks at both deaths linked to coronavirus and other deaths that could be a result of the lockdown - and therefore is seen as a fuller picture of the impact of the pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images