Covid-19: Wales close to a tipping point, first minister says

Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant has seen 25 deaths and 135 cases relating to coronavirus

Wales is "close to a tipping point" with the number of coronavirus cases rising rapidly across parts of the country, the first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said the number of patients with suspected or confirmed Covid in hospital had gone up "steadily over the last couple of weeks".

"We're heading back to the sorts of demands on the health service that we saw earlier in the year," he said.

People in 17 areas of Wales now face local lockdown rules due to the virus.

A total of 1,669 people in Wales have died with Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, according to figures published by Public Health Wales on Sunday.

It also said 30,121 people have tested positive for the virus, with 467 new cases reported on Sunday.

England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam has said the seasons were "against us" and the country was running into a "headwind" due to mounting cases.

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Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement that, "while I don't think we are in the identical position as they face across our border in England... I don't think there's a great deal of comfort to be drawn".

He said the increase in cases was seen mostly in community settings, not from transmission from people mixing in the hospitality sector.

"Unless we are able to turn back the tide of coronavirus in the community, we will see our health service come under very significant strain," he said.

All but essential travel in or out of an area is banned under local lockdown restrictions in Wales

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce tougher restrictions for England.

In a statement to MPs, he is expected to set out plans for a three-tier local lockdown system which would see every region in England placed in one of three tiers, depending on the severity of cases.

He has already rejected a call by Mr Drakeford to ban people travelling from Covid hotspots in England to Wales.

People in Wales cannot leave lockdown areas without a good reason, such as going to work.

Mr Drakeford said: "If it were to be the case that on Monday we hear that high circulation areas in England are to have a similar regime as the one we have in Wales, that will be a huge relief for us in Wales, but I think it is the right thing to do across the United Kingdom as a whole."

Plaid Cymru's health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth called for an "unambiguous plan, communicated clearly, implemented effectively and enforced strictly" to curb the spread of the virus.

"The government has to provide the data that proves it's able to target its efforts properly, balancing clampdowns on clusters with the well-being of people and business," he said.