Infectious Diseases

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 12 January 2021.

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Photo of David Rowlands David Rowlands UKIP 2:04, 12 January 2021

I thank the First Minister for that answer. However, First Minister, will you give us definitive figures that illustrate that this is a health crisis caused by an infectious disease like no other? In 2018, there were 32,000 deaths from typhoid fever; in 2019, 17,000 died from—[Inaudible.] And again, in 2018, cumulative deaths from communicable diseases amounted to 91,000. Why is it that we had no lockdowns in these years, yet 99.9 per cent of the population survived? Can you tell us why our health service is overwhelmed by an extra 50 people in intensive care—they were the figures given to us by Vaughan Gething last week—especially given that A&E admissions are down by 30 per cent? Is it not true that every year, during the winter months, for the last two decades, the health service has been in a crisis at this time?