Masks are being reintroduced in all areas of hospitals in Swansea Bay as the health board has admitted that respiratory viruses, including coronavirus, are circulating on most, if not all wards. Swansea Bay University Health Board has said it is currently seeing a sharp rise in confirmed cases of flu, Covid and several other viral respiratory infections across its hospitals.
It said there has been been "a big jump in a range of respiratory infections" every day over the past few days, rising from 31 confirmed cases on December 17 to 66 cases by December 22. The health board's infection control team has confirmed a range of respiratory viruses are "now highly likely to be circulating on most if not all wards".
It acknowledged in a statement that staff recognised the importance of visiting relatives and close friends in hospital, particularly during the festive season, but asked anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms or feeling under the weather to postpone their visit until they felt better. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
