Covid: Field hospitals could return as cases rise in Wales

The Principality Stadium, Cardiff, was transformed into a field hospital to treat coronavirus patients

Field hospitals could once again open in Wales to deal with Covid patients, the Welsh government has said.

It has asked health boards to assess their readiness to create "additional surge facilities" as the pandemic continues.

This is despite the number of people - 286 - admitted to hospital with coronavirus remaining under 300 for the second week running.

This is the second lowest weekly number of admissions since 29 August.

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However, Digital Health and Care Wales said the number of patients in hospital being treated for coronavirus in Wales has risen by 27% in a week bringing the average number to 342.

The case rate is also at its highest level since the start of the pandemic - 1,004 cases per 100,000 people after 12,378 new infections were reported over Christmas.

Hospital admissions remain at their lowest level since August

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We have asked health boards to assess their readiness to open additional surge facilities - previously known as field hospitals - if required.

"We expect health boards to take a flexible approach to making temporary surge capacity available within their current hospital sites and at dedicated surge facilities to help them respond to the changing demands of the pandemic and meet the needs of the communities they serve."

Latest Public Health Wales figures show 21,051 new cases over the past 48 hours and three more deaths, taking the total to 6,556.

Buildings, including sports stadiums and theatres, were rapidly turned into 17 hospitals at the peak of the crisis last year, at a cost of £166m.

Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli became a makeshift hospital

But only the Dragon's Heart Hospital in Cardiff, constructed inside the Principality Stadium, received any patients.

While the potential to reopen additional treatment facilities is being assessed in Wales, plans have already been made to set up "surge hubs" in England.

The eight temporary "Nightingale" units will each house about 100 patients, with building starting this week.

There are also plans to identify sites for a further 4,000 beds if needed.

Across the UK 183,037 daily cases were reported in the latest figures, with more than 900,000 cases reported over the last seven days - up 41.4% on the week before.