The total number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Wales is far higher than previously reported, Public Health Wales (PHW) announced today.

PHW said a total of 751 people have now died of the coronavirus in Wales, with 110 deaths reported yesterday.

The sudden jump in deaths is due to a delay in reporting 84 deaths which occurred between March 20 and April 22 in one health board, PHW said.

A Public Health Wales spokesperson said: “The new figure reported by a Health Board includes 84 retrospective deaths.

"The actual number of new deaths (in the most recent 24-hour period) is 26.

"The sudden increase in numbers is due to a delay in the reporting process. Public Health Wales is currently working with its partner agencies to ensure that we provide the public with the most accurate, up-to-date COVID-19 data available.”

A total of 8,601 people have been confirmed to have the virus in Wales, with 243 new cases from 1,027 tests carried out yesterday.

Ten new cases were confirmed in Pembrokeshire, for a total of 178; 12 new cases were reported in Carmarthenshire, for a total of 416; and zero new cases in ceredigion, for a total of 35.

In Pembrokeshire, the council's chief executive announced that 20 people had died of Covid-19 in the county.

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. “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.”