Covid Merthyr cluster: Testing site opens as 31 cases in street

The drive-through mobile testing unit after the spike in cases in Swansea Road

A mobile testing centre has opened in an area where 31 Covid cases were confirmed on one street.

Health officials are tracing anyone who has been in contact with those living in Swansea Road, Merthyr Tydfil, who tested positive.

They have now urged anyone in the area showing symptoms to go to the drive-through testing centre at Merthyr Valley Homes, Lansbury Road.

People living in the street have been warned to stay extra vigilant.

Asymptomatic testing is also available from a walk-in centre at Gurnos Clinic.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, Merthyr council and Public Health Wales are tracing contacts of the cases from Swansea Road.

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A cluster of 31 cases of Covid was discovered in the Swansea Road area

Prof Kelechi Nnoaham, the health board's director of public health, said: "Following this cluster of cases, we are asking residents of the Swansea Road area to be extra vigilant for the symptoms of Covid-19 and to visit our new testing centre if they believe they might have developed the virus.

"This latest cluster shows that, while rates have been on a downward trend, Covid-19 is sadly still circulating in our communities and is a stark reminder to us all of the importance of social distancing, wearing facemasks, washing our hands and following the lockdown rules."

Analysis

By Huw Thomas, BBC Wales

We have got used to hearing about the low levels of coronavirus circulating in Wales, which is why the Merthyr Tydfil outbreak stands out.

Establishing a testing centre in the county for asymptomatic people shows the eagerness to identify and contain the extent of the outbreak.

Merthyr Tydfil is a relatively small county and it is now the only local authority in Wales to have an average case rate above 100 per 100,000 people. It is currently at a rate of 104.4 per 100,000 which is similar to a spike seen in early-February.

Localised outbreaks will continue, and will stand out, as lockdown restrictions are eased. In one sense they help to highlight the gains that have been achieved in the rest of the country in the couple of months that have passed since the peak of the second wave.

In winter's grip, few places had a peak higher than Merthyr Tydfil. In the week before Christmas the case rate in Merthyr was 1,349 cases per 100,000 people.

Last month's hospital outbreak at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor showed how quickly the virus can take hold. The latest cases in Merthyr Tydfil show the continuous vigilance that's required to keep the virus at bay.