EMERGING evidence suggests that the number of new cases of coronavirus might be levelling off in Wales with ten new cases been reported in Conwy and Denbighshire today.

It is believed this could be due to the effectiveness of lockdown and social distancing measures.

Today (April 23), ten new cases were reported in Conwy and Denbighshire, with only two of these in Denbighshire.

This means there are now 198 cumulative confirmed cases of coronavirus in Denbighshire and 145 in Conwy.

1,153 tests have been carried out in the two counties.

There have been 17 new suspected COVID-related deaths across Wales.

To date, the total number of people in Wales who have died after testing positive for coronavirus stands at 641.

There were 234 new cases of positive test reported today.

A total of 28,904 tests have been carried out in Wales, of those 16,670 were negative.

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Based on the new case numbers there is emerging evidence suggesting a levelling-off in the number of new cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, which may be an indication of the effectiveness of lockdown measures.

"However, it is still too early to tell for sure, and it is too soon to end the current social distancing rules. Public Health Wales continues to fully support the extension of lockdown measures, which is essential to avoid reversing the gains we have made in slowing the spread of this virus, protecting our NHS, and saving lives.”

“Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still circulating in every part of Wales, and the single most important action we can all take in fighting the virus is to stay at home. We want to thank each and every person across Wales for doing their bit to help slow the spread of the virus.

"While emphasising the importance of staying at home, we also want to reinforce the message from NHS Wales that urgent and emergency care services for physical and mental health are still open and accessible.

“For parents, if your child is unwell and you are concerned you should seek help. If you have urgent dental pain you should still call your dentist. If you have a health complaint that is worrying you and won’t go away you should call your GP practice. If you or a family member are seriously ill or injured you should dial 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.

“Public Health Wales is working with our partners in Welsh Government, the wider NHS in Wales, the other UK nations and others to monitor and respond to the spread of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales.

“The new Critical Workers Testing Policy will be helpful in providing guidance to partners to make sure that we use the current testing capacity in Wales to the full, and to enable the demand for testing to scale up accordingly as we expand our capacity. It is vital to ensure we test the right people, at the right time, in the right place, to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“We will be increasing our testing capacity in the weeks and months to come and it will be essential for us to exploit all possible technology to create a streamlined and digitally enabled process to support this. The recommendations in the Minister’s review will be helpful in achieving this.

“We are encouraging everyone to download the COVID-19 Symptom Tracker app, which has been supported by Welsh Government. The app allows users to log daily symptoms to help build a clearer picture of how the virus is affecting people. For more information, including how to download the app, visit covid.joinzoe.com

“Public Health Wales is working to address the negative impact of COVID-19 on the social, mental and physical wellbeing of people in Wales. The new How are you doing? campaign is now live and offering practical advice from phw.nhs.wales/howareyoudoing

“We know that staying at home can be hard especially when the weather is nice, but members of the public must adhere to social distancing rules about staying at home, and away from others, introduced by the UK and Welsh Government. These rules are available on the Public Health Wales website.

“People no longer need to contact NHS 111 if they think they may have contracted Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Information about the symptoms to look out for is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker.

“Anyone with a suspected coronavirus illness should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. They should only contact NHS 111 if they feel they cannot cope with their symptoms at home, their condition gets worse, or their symptoms do not get better after seven days.

“Only call 999 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, do not call 999 just because you are on hold to 111. We appreciate that 111 lines are busy, but you will get through after a wait."