THE NHS in Wales is not overwhelmed, according to health minister Vaughan Gething.

Mr Gething made the comments during today’s Welsh Government coronavirus briefing - just after Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Swansea Bay University Health Board cancelled routine operations and appointments.

He said the NHS was not overwhelmed, but is having to make choices to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

“The number of cases has passed 100,000 and on Friday, for the first time, the number of people in hospital with covid passed 2,000," he said.

“Coronavirus is putting additional and sustained strain on our health service. It is unlike other winter viruses we normally see. Many who are admitted to hospital will be there for weeks and will need a long time to recover.

“Health boards are already making difficult decisions to postpone treatments. Swansea Bay and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board have already postponed operations.”

MORE NEWS:

The comments also come after intensive care consultant Dr Ami Jones, who works at the new Grange University Hospital, near Cwmbran - which only opened last month - explained to BBC Breakfast that the hospital has more patients with coronavirus than without, and staff are struggling to find beds for the people needing treatment.

The health board has also put out a plea for people to only call 999 or attend A&E if they are in serious need of treatment, as ambulances are queuing outside the hospital.

Dr Jones said: "We have reached a tipping point, we have more patients that have Covid than don't have Covid now.

"My ICU is probably two-thirds, three-quarters Covid patients who are not getting the care."

“It’s not just like normal winter where we stop doing elective operations and it’s a straight swap for beds. We’ve had to put completely different pathways in for patients to have elective operations to keep them what we call 'green', because we want to make sure we keep them from catching covid at the hospital.

“As the number of the patients in the hospital get more and more with covid that becomes more and more difficult so its not just pure beds, its also trying to keep those patients safe.”