The Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Minister for Social Care - Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has today (13 July) spoken of her concern over the news that the news that the official statistical release on daily COVID-19 cases in Wales have been under-reporting known positive cases.  

Over the weekend, results from more than 70,000 tests from non-NHS Wales laboratories were added to official statistics for the first time. Consequently, 1,049 positive cases of COVID-19 have now been made public. Over recent months, all four UK nations have used commercial testing to boost capacity.

Commenting on the revelation, Janet said:

“I am appalled by the revelation that over one thousand cases of COVID-19 have only now been added to public records. This concerning admission of data once again works to highlight the shambolic testing regime of the Welsh Labour Government.

“Why has it taken the Welsh Government so long to integrate this data, when the UK’s other devolved administrations have been publishing a full account of positive cases since the middle of June?

“Dropped testing targets, slow turnaround times, regional disparities and now missing data – this litany of blunders continues to put society’s most vulnerable at risk. The people of Wales deserve a full and clear picture of how this disease has been spreading.

“Vaughan Gething must quit dawdling and rectify the situation. I urge the Welsh Health Minister to provide an explanation as to why these tests were not reported through official channels until the second week of July. I also ask him to outline how his department is planning to prevent similar future mistakes.”

ENDS