Thank you for following our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Wales.

This brings an end to our live feed today, but you can continue following any updates or news on our website and on social media.

Today we have learnt that:

• Eight people have died following an outbreak at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant
• Surgeries at the hospital have been cancelled and all staff are being tested
• Official Public Health Wales statistics show that one further death has been recorded today in the Swansea area - while 388 new cases have been confirmed
• An issue with delays at labs mean the results of 2,000 tests are not yet known, and so estimates for cases in Wales are likely to be low, Public Health Wales said
• There has been a 60% rise in the number of people in hospital with coronavirus, according to the boss of NHS Wales
• The Welsh Government has said it is a "priority" to make sure that students can return home for Christmas
• Officials are working with universities to try and open "walk-in" testing facilities on campuses

One further person in Wales has died with coronavirus in the Swansea area.

Figures show that the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area has had the highest number of deaths, 423, with Covid-19.

Of the 388 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales published today, 83 were in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The area with the second highest number of confirmed cases is Cardiff, with 55 confirmed cases.

Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, had one case each.

No area in Wales had zero cases, according to the figures.

One further person has died with coronavirus in Wales, taking the total to 1,616.

On Wednesday there were 388 new cases of coronavirus confirmed, according to Public Health Wales statistics.

This brings the total number of known cases since the start of the pandemic to 23,985.

But with about 2,000 test results delayed due to issues at Lighthouse Labs - the UK wide testing programme - PHW said the figures on Wednesday would be an "underestimate of the true picture of Coronavirus in Wales".

An MP has called on the prime minister to ban people from being able to travel from local lockdown areas into parts of Wales.

Liz Saville-Roberts said those under restrictions in England could travel into Wales, while people locked-down in Welsh communities could not leave their areas without good reason.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Question Time, the Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP said people coming on holiday from areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases "has got to stop".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there would be some "seeming illogicalities" to different measures but "that's inevitable in tackling a pandemic".

He added: "Overall the UK is proceeding with the same approach and I'm very grateful to Mark Drakeford and everyone else in the Welsh Government for the way we are working together to defeat the virus."

Image source, Gary Maslin

There has been a 60% increase in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 in seven days, the boss of NHS Wales has said.

Andrew Goodall told the Senedd health committee there were 550 patients in NHS beds for coronavirus related reasons.

“We've seen a 90% increase in the number of Covid-related patients in critical care, that's gone up from 16 to 34,” the NHS Wales chief executive said.

It means that, for the first time, expansion plans for critical care were being used in some of those areas.

Waiting lists in the Welsh NHS have risen significantly since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, Wales' health minister has said.

Vaughan Gething said the number of people waiting for appointments had risen 9% between March and August.

About 140,000 have been waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment by the end of last month, the Senedd's health committee heard.

NHS Wales boss Andrew Goodall said safety concerns are reducing the number of patients being seen.

Andrew Goodall, NHS Wales chief executive, said that despite a "reversion to more normal levels of activity" the numbers of people waiting more than 36 weeks had "deteriorated".

He said outpatient and elective surgery had dropped to "about 50% of normal levels".

Kirsty Williams said the outbreak at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital was a "serious situation".

Eight people are confirmed to have died with coronavirus, and six patients are in intensive care, following the outbreak at the Llantrisant hospital.

All staff at the hospital, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, are now being tested, and planned surgeries have been cancelled, after 82 cases were linked to the site.

Ms Williams, who is education minister, said: "We understand that this is a serious situation and how upsetting it is for all involved.

"We are working with the local health board, health authorities, the senior management team and Public Health Wales to understand and, crucially, address the issues that have arisen at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital to bring that outbreak under control and learn the lessons of that so that those lessons can be applied in other health care settings."

Image source, Google

The Welsh Government is "already engaged" in the debate around reforming GCSEs in Wales, according to Education Minister Kirsty Williams.

Speaking in response to a call from Plaid Cymru to scrap the exams for students in Year 11, Ms Williams said the opposition party was "slightly behind the curve".

Ms Williams has previously said that exams could be delayed due to the pandemic.

"Qualifications Wales are already carrying out a consultation on the future of qualifications at 16 as a direct result of curriculum reform," she said.

Ms Williams added it's important to not "let assessment dictate the nature of learning".

"What we're doing is ensuring that our curriculum reforms drive reform to the assessment measures.

"Qualifications Wales have already completed their first part of their consultation on the future of qualifications in Wales.

"A second stage of that consulation is planned, so we're already engaged in that debate."

There is currently "no case" for students to get refunds for tuition fees, the education minister has said.

Students pay up to £9,000 a year for their courses at Welsh universities, but some are unable to attend face-to-face teaching after cases on campuses.

But Kirsty Williams said: "I don't believe at this stage that there is a case to be made for refunds."

The minister said students should get "a quality experience" and she had received assurances that the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales would be monitoring the quality of the "blended learning experience to ensure that it is what we would expect students to be delivered".

Ms Williams said that university staff had been "flexible, changing their plans to ensure any disruption to students are kept to the minimum" and they were "trying to make university life as close to normal as it can be under the circumstances".

She said: "I believe that face-to-face tutorials remain a crucial part of the learning experience. Universities are rightly maximising the space they have across their estates to allow those to go ahead in a safe way".

Education Minister Kirsty Williams says Aberystwyth University will review their decision to suspend in-person teaching for their students on Friday.

The university made the decision on Monday after a spike in coronavirus cases.

It comes as six out of eight Welsh universities have told BBC Wales they had seen confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Asked whether it was important for universities to keep face-to-face teaching going across Wales, Ms Williams said it was an “important part of the learning process” and was an “important part” of student welfare.

She also said that many students across Wales were “successfully” engaging in face-to-face learning, as well as online learning.

The education minister said it was "unfair to blame" students during the pandemic.

Kirsty Williams said the majority of students wanted to abide by the rules.

Ms Williams said that any house parties were a "breach of our regulations and shouldn't be happening".

Speaking at the Welsh Government's press conference, Ms Williams said "students appreciate being given the opportunity to be back on campus".

"They want to make that successful and they want to play their part in keeping themselves safe," she added.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said that her own daughter had left for university and it was her "priority" as a mum and a minister "to get students home for Christmas".

Speaking at the Welsh Government press conference Ms Williams said it was a priority to get students to be able to see their families.

“Let's be absolutely clear we're not saying that students cannot return home for Christmas," she said.

“As a mother who sent her own daughter to university for her first year on Sunday, believe me, there is nothing that I want more, to ensure that students can be at home with their families for Christmas.

“There's nothing more that I want and therefore we are determined as a government to do what we can, working alongside our universities here in Wales, with Public Health Wales, with our scientific advisers, but also with other governments and jurisdictions in the United Kingdom to make that happen.”

The "vast majority" of state schools have reported no coronavirus cases, the education minister has said.

Some pupils have been sent home following confirmed cases in schools in parts of Wales.

But Kirsty Williams said where there had been cases in a state school, most of them have reported a single case.

She said schools were using the testing system and were taking action so any affected pupils or staff testing positive for the coronavirus were self-isolating, minimising the impact on the rest of the school.

The minister added that school attendance had remained constant at around 80% and that this takes into account pupils who had been asked to self-isolate.

Making sure students can return home to see their loved ones over Christmas is a "priority", the education minister has said.

Students are being urged to self-isolate if they get symptoms, while local lockdowns are in place in many communities across Wales, with people being unable to enter or leave areas without good reason.

Kirsty Williams said while Christmas was three months away the Welsh Government was working with universities to make sure students could return home.

"I want to be clear that ensuring students can return home over Christmas is a priority for me and this government and we will be working with universities to ensure that can happen".

The minister added: "Many of you will want to cross counties and countries at that time.

"I have already discussed the issue with my counterparts across the UK to make sure we can support you when the time comes".

University students with covid symptoms should not to go back home, the education minister has said.

Kirsty Williams urged any student with a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell, to self-isolate and get a test.

She said: "If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you must self-isolate and get a test".

"Don’t go back home if you have symptoms, potentially taking the virus with you – that’s the best way to look after your family".

She urged students to "look out for each other".

"This is a difficult time for everyone and, more than ever, we all need to support each other".

Students may soon be able to get tested on campus, with work under way to open "walk-in" Covid-19 centres at universities across Wales, the education minister has said.

Six out of eight Welsh universities have told BBC Wales they had seen confirmed cases of Covid-19

Speaking at the Welsh Government's coronavirus briefing Kirsty Williams said: "We are working with universities to set up walk-in centres on campus, especially to support people who cannot drive to one of the drive-in test centres."

She added that universities were also "ensuring access to things like food, toiletries and mental health and wellbeing support" for students who have to self-isolate.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Eight patients have died with coronavirus at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital following an outbreak, the health board has confirmed.

Planned surgeries have been cancelled after 82 cases were linked to the hospital in Llantrisant.

Staff at the hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the areas in Wales under a local lockdown, are being tested amid the outbreak.

Paul Mears, the new chief executive of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, said that eight patients had died and six patients were in intensive care.

Planned surgeries have been temporarily suspended and patients who would usually be taken to A&E at the hospital in an emergency will also be sent elsewhere as part of the plan from 14:00 BST.

Mr Mears said the situation had escalated quite rapidly over the weekend and at the beginning of this week.

He said: “Clearly the situation is very significant there and is posing a challenge to us in terms of managing the spread of infection within the facility."

A mother-of-two who spent 45 days on a ventilator after contracting coronavirus has pleaded with people not to break lockdown rules.

Julia Brockway, 50, from Glynneath, Neath Port Talbot, thought she had a chest infection when she became ill and just planned to rest on the sofa.

But her son David, 18, ordered her go to Morriston Hospital in Swansea where she was diagnosed with Covid-19 and spent over two months in intensive care.

Julia, who lost four stone (25kg) and who still struggles to walk and eat, begged people to follow social distancing and lockdown rules.

"When I see the crowds and the partying, it makes me feel horrified for them because they think it's funny and it's not, it's a horrible disease," she said.