NO new cases of coronavirus have been recorded by Public Health Wales (PHW) today, Tuesday, July 21, for the area covered by the Hywel Dda Health Board.

22 new cases have been confirmed across Wales and no new deaths were also recorded.

Figures from PHW show that there were 60 testing episodes done in Pembrokeshire yesterday, 29 in Ceredigion and 212 in Carmarthenshire.

Just over 5,300 tests were carried out across Wales on Monday (July 20).

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We continue to caution and remind the public and business-owners that we all have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus by always sticking to social distancing guidelines - staying two metres away from others, and washing hands regularly. When travelling you should also avoid car sharing with people outside your household.

"Anyone with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 infection - a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss of smell or taste (anosmia) - must self-isolate and seek an urgent test.

"Confirmed cases must isolate for seven days, with members of their household isolating for 14 days until the risk of passing on further infection has gone. Combined, these simple but effective actions will ensure the virus does not spread.

Updates on current incidents

“Public Health Wales and our multi-agency partners have been investigating four laboratory confirmed cases of Coronavirus associated with the Zorba Delicacies Ltd food processing plant in Ebbw Vale.

“Investigations are ongoing as to the possible cause of the incident, and no firm conclusions can be reached at this early stage. No outbreak has been declared.

“Close contacts of confirmed cases have been contacted through the Test, Trace, Protect process and provided with additional advice for themselves, household and other contacts.

“As a precautionary measure, and to help with further understanding of situation within workplace settings, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, in collaboration with the Gwent Regional Test, Trace, Protect team, will carry out widespread, rapid testing of the workforce from today (21 July), with the full cooperation of Zorba Delicacies Ltd.

“As we move into the recovery phase of the Coronavirus pandemic, we expect to see clusters in settings such as workplaces. We manage any cluster of Coronavirus appropriately, including by providing advice around infection prevention and control, and by supporting contact tracing where required.

“Public Health Wales can confirm that there are no new cases of Coronavirus linked with the 2 Sisters outbreak. The total therefore remains at 221 cases linked to the outbreak which is linked to the site at Llangefni in Anglesey. The fact that no new cases have been recorded is a positive sign, and indicates that control measures have been effective.

“The multi-agency team managing the outbreak of Coronavirus associated with Rowan Foods Ltd in Wrexham has recorded 309 cases. There continues to be no evidence that this outbreak is factory-based, and the results we have identified are what we would expect to see when a focused testing takes place.

“In addition, the total number of positive case identified at the Kepak Merthyr meat processing plant is 139 since April. Investigations in this cluster continue, and updates will be issued in the coming days.

“The Food Standards Agency advise that it is very unlikely that you can catch coronavirus from food. Coronavirus is a respiratory illness. It is not known to be transmitted by exposure to food or food packaging.

Contact tracing and general information

“Contact tracing continues in Wales as part of the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy. Anyone who has a positive Coronavirus test will be contacted by a team of contact tracers, and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms.

“Please keep a note of your activities so you can easily remember your whereabouts on a given day, along with who you were in contact with.

“If you are asked to self-isolate, you should also comply with this request to prevent further spread of the virus.

“Tracers are trained staff and personal information that you provide will handled in line with data protection regulations and will not be shared widely.

“Further information about the symptoms of Coronavirus is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker.

“Anyone experiencing Coronavirus symptoms can apply for a home testing kit by visiting www.gov.wales/coronavirus, or by calling the national 119 phone service.

“Anyone with suspected coronavirus 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.”

“Public Health Wales’ user-friendly data dashboard takes information from a range of different sources. The total number of positive cases now includes those reported from non-NHS Wales laboratories, which are subject to ongoing de-duplication, refinement and reconciliation. This may result in fluctuation of the total positive cases as this process takes place.

“It should be noted that the cases from non-NHS Wales laboratories are not new cases, and have been on the dashboard for a number of weeks. They have previously been reported on a separate tab, but are now incorporated into the totals for the local authority area and Health Board area in which the patient resides, to give a complete picture for Wales.