THE number of people in Wales to die since testing positive for Covid-19 now stands at 575, with 41 more deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

The latest figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show there were also 334 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Wales since Saturday.

The total number of confirmed cases in Wales now stands at 7,270, although the true figure is expected to be much higher.

In the Gwent region, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) reported 45 new cases.

Of those, 17 were in Caerphilly, nine in Blaenau Gwent, nine in Newport, seven in Torfaen and three in Monmouthshire.

An update on the number of deaths in the region is not yet available. Yesterday it stood at 195 - the highest of any health board in Wales.

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: "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.                        

“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.

“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."

You can read the full statement here.