BREAKING: First coronavirus case confirmed in Wales

The first case of coronavirus has been confirmed in Wales after a patient from Swansea has been diagnosed with the virus.

The patient was tested after travelling back from Northern Italy, a badly affected region, Chief Medical Officer Dr Frank Atherton can confirm.

Dr Atherton said: “All appropriate measures to provide care for the individual and to reduce the risk of transmission to others are being taken.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to assure the public that Wales and the whole of the UK is well prepared for these types of incidents.”

Public Health Wales said it was is working hard to identify close contacts and taking all appropriate actions to reduce any risk to the public’s health.

This comes after Northern Ireland confirmed its first case on Thursday, with Friday seeing a further two new cases reported in England.

Since the outbreak of the virus in China in December, it now means that 19 people have tested positively within the UK.

The World Health Organization also warned that the outbreak had reached a “decisive point” and had “pandemic potential”.

England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said if the outbreak intensifies, it may be necessary to close schools and stop mass gatherings of people for “quite a long period of time, probably more than two months”.

Feature credit image – SWNS Stock Image

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