The Hywel Dda Health Board area had its first coronavirus related death in almost two months yesterday, the latest figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show.

Sixty-eight deaths have now been reported across the three counties that make up the health board. The last death due to the coronavirus in Hywel Dda was on July 3.

Recorded cases across the area also rose yesterday, with four new cases identified in Pembrokeshire and one in Carmarthenshire, PHW said.

The Hywel Dda region has now had a total of 1,246 cases - 320 in Pembrokeshire, 845 in Carmarthenshire and 81 in Ceredigion.

Across Wales, 51 new cases of the virus were recorded yesterday from 4,733 testing episodes.

In total the country has had 18,063 confirmed cases of the virus.

Dr Christopher Williams, Incident Director for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Cardiff and Vale Test Trace Protect and Public Health Wales have identified at least sixteen confirmed cases of Covid-19 from three different parties who were on TUI Flight 6215 from Zante to Cardiff on 25 August.

"Seven out of the sixteen were infectious at the time of flying. As a result, we are advising that all passengers on this flight are considered close contacts and must self-isolate.

“All passengers are being followed up by their local Test Trace Protect teams They should all self-isolate at home, as they may become infectious, even if they have no symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should book a test without delay.

“Our investigations into a number of cases of Coronavirus have indicated that a lack of social distancing, in particular by a minority of the 20-30 year age group, has resulted in the spread of the virus to other groups of people.

“I would make a direct appeal to young people to remember that even if they feel that they would not be badly affected by Covid-19 were they to test positive, should they pass it on to older or more vulnerable family members, friends or colleagues it could be extremely serious and even fatal.

“Despite the lower infection rates in Wales, Coronavirus has not gone away. It remains the responsibility of everyone to help prevent the spread of this virus – that is, by self-isolating when asked to do so, staying two metres away from others, and by washing hands regularly.

“Particularly over this Bank Holiday weekend, we are also issuing a reminder to everyone of the importance of social distancing to keep everyone in Wales safe.

“We also want to remind the public that if you have recently travelled outside the UK there may be restrictions on your return. Advice on travelling abroad, including the latest information on quarantine requirements on returning home, can be found on the Welsh Government and FCO websites.

“Anyone returning to Wales from countries which have been identified as high risk must quarantine in accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regulations even if they are not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms or have had a negative test result.

"Anyone with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 infection - a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss of smell or taste (anosmia) - must self-isolate and seek an urgent test.

“Getting a coronavirus test is free and simple to do, either by visiting gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling the free number 119

"Confirmed cases must isolate for 10 days, with members of their household isolating for 14 days until the risk of passing on further infection has gone. Combined, these simple but effective actions will ensure the virus does not spread.

Updates on current incidents

“As we move through the recovery phase of the Coronavirus pandemic, we expect to see clusters in different settings, as with the incident described above. We manage any clusters of Coronavirus appropriately, including by providing advice around infection prevention and control, and by supporting contact tracing where required.

“We remind the public and business owners that Coronavirus is still circulating in the community.”

Contact tracing and general information

“Contact tracing continues as part of the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy. Anyone who has a positive Coronavirus test will be contacted by a team of contact tracers, and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms.

“Please keep a note of your activities so you can easily remember your whereabouts on a given day, along with who you were in contact with.

“If you are asked to self-isolate, you should do so to prevent further spread of the virus.

“Tracers are trained staff and personal information that you provide will handled in line with data protection regulations and will not be shared widely.

“Information about the symptoms of Coronavirus is available on the Public Health Wales website, or via the NHS 111 Wales symptom checker.

“Anyone experiencing Coronavirus symptoms can apply for a home testing kit by visiting gov.wales/coronavirus, or by calling the national 119 phone service.

“Anyone with suspected coronavirus should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. They should only contact NHS 111 if they feel they cannot cope with their symptoms at home, their condition gets worse, or their symptoms do not get better after seven days.

“Only call 999 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, do not call 999 just because you are on hold to 111. We appreciate that 111 lines are busy, but you will get through after a wait.

“Public Health Wales’ user-friendly data dashboard takes information from a range of different sources. The total number of positive cases now includes those reported from non-NHS Wales laboratories, which are subject to ongoing de-duplication, refinement and reconciliation. This may result in fluctuation of the total positive cases as this process takes place.”