2. Statement by the First Minister: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 20 May 2020.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 2:04, 20 May 2020

First Minister, in your statement today you mentioned the ONS figures. When people hear what seems to be conflicting data in terms of cases, or cases of deaths, it does cause some anxiety. People in Powys, for example, would have heard news reports yesterday saying, unfortunately, there were 12 deaths in Powys, whereas the ONS figures report 75 deaths. Of course, this is because of the difference between Public Health Wales and the ONS in how they report data, and the fact that Powys does not have a district general hospital and, of course, because of the cross-border nature. What can you say to people who have this anxiety, which I think can cause some concern amongst people and distrust, I suppose, as well? What can be done to make data easier to understand for the public?

And also, secondly and related, when will the data reporting of care testing and, sadly, deaths in English hospitals for Welsh patients appear in the Public Health Wales figures?