300 people self-isolating due to Delta variant in Wales, Mark Drakeford says

Three hundred people are self-isolating due to the new Delta variant of coronavirus in Wales, according to the First Minister.

Mark Drakeford said that Wales had to face the fact that the variant would spread here and that’s why he was attempting to vaccinate more people before lifting indoor restrictions.

“The Delta variant adds a new level of uncertainty and complexity,” he said, adding that the delay in the shift to alert level one would give them time to vaccinate more people allowing a “further significant defence” against the Delta variant.

“It’s a genuine investment in making sure everything we’ve done together isn’t put at risk,” he said. “If we’re in a place in two weeks where we better understand the variant and it is not affecting us here in Wales we will look at lifting restrictions inside as well.”

‘Working hard’

A considerable majority of those with confirmed cases of the Delta variant had not been vaccinated, he said. He added that most were in close-knit clusters and there was no evidence of more than they expected needing hospitalisation.

There are examples there of people who have caught the virus in schools and workplaces, he said, but no evidence yet of widespread community spread.

“The spread of the virus across our border means that we will not be exempt from further rises of the new variant here in Wales,” he said.

“We know who they are,” he said of those with the Delta variant. “The local teams are working hard to go after them.”

He said that at the moment they were not considering a local lockdown for Conwy, where the largest cluster of the Delta variant was located.

“Local measures remain part of the potential actions we could take. We don’t think that the current circumstances require them,” he said.