Get the biggest stories sent straight to your inbox Sign up for regular updates and breaking news from WalesOnline Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Wales can look forward "cautiously and carefully" to a future without coronavirus, the First Minister has stated.

In Friday's press conference, Mark Drakeford said that some encouraging new NHS data had shown that the three-week lockdown appeared to have reduced the number of Covid-19-related admissions to hospitals.

He also added that the number of patients needing critical care had also dropped following a spike at the end of March and early April.

More than 500 people have now died after contracting the virus in Wales since the outbreak started, while 6,645 have tested positive.

(Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)

Mr Drakeford said: "Those three weeks [of restrictions] have been well-used.

"On April 7 we saw the highest number of new admissions for coronavirus in the outbreak so far to Welsh hospitals. On that day, that figure was 196. It has been below that number every day since.

"And while figures go up and down, yesterday (Thursday) that figure was as low as 105.

"While the number of people needing critical care for coronavirus in Wales rose rapidly at the end of March and into April, that figure was also the highest so far on April 9 at 161. But it has stabilised and been below that figure every day since.

"These are the reasons why we are able to look forward cautiously and carefully to the future, to what Wales and the wider world will look like when the pandemic is over."

Mr Drakeford acknowledged that the first three weeks of the lockdown were extremely difficult for many people.

But he stressed that "all that effort" made by the public, as well as staff in the NHS and social care, had made a real difference.

Over the course of the first three weeks, he said critical care bed capacity had doubled and there were 7,000 more beds available to the Welsh NHS.

He added that he was "determined" to use the next three weeks of further restrictions to plan ahead and prepare for any easing of lockdown "in a coordinated way" with the rest of the UK.

But he stressed that a series of tests would need to be carried out before any restrictions could be lifted.

These would include whether the change would continue to protect public health, whether the risk of further infection was low, whether it could be rapidly reversed and how it could be policed.

He added that public health surveillance would also be improved so new localised outbreaks of Covid-19 could be identified and responded to quickly.

On Thursday, the chief executive of NHS Wales gave an update on the state of critical care units across the country.

Dr Andrew Goodall said all health boards were reporting a "green" or level one status which meant they were able to manage demand

This is the latest status update across NHS Wales:

Hospitals

Around 46% of acute hospital beds (around 3,135) are currently empty

There are 940 people with confirmed coronavirus in hospital (April 16) and a further 395 suspected cases

Critical care capacity has increased to 399 beds this week

Around 49% of critical care beds are available

One in three critical care beds are occupied by people with confirmed or suspected coronavirus

The greatest pressure on critical care beds remains in the south east of Wales

Emergency cases

There are 60% less A&E attendances compared to this time last year

Ambulance arrivals at A&E departments are around 20% lower

There has been a 35% reduction in emergency admissions to our hospitals

Primary care