THE Minor Injuries Unit at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr has been forced to close early at 9pm tonight due to staffing issues.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board announced the early closure on Twitter.

The tweet said: "Our hospitals are extremely busy tonight.

"Please only attend if absolutely necessary.

"Due to staffing difficulties, the Minor Injuries Unit at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr will close at 9pm tonight.

"Thank you for your support and understanding."

Since the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid, many industries including the NHS have been hit with staff absences.

As of December 20, StatsWales showed that 0.9 per cent of NHS staff in Wales were sick with Covid and 0.9 per cent were having to self isolate.

That is in comparison to 0.7 per cent absent with Covid from December 6, though the percentage of staff having to self isolate was the same overall.

However, Omicron is expected to spread rapidly in Wales and if this happens then staff absences are likely to increase.

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