Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:41 pm on 7 July 2021.
Thanks very much, Russell. Of course, every death in this pandemic has been difficult, and for those who've caught COVID in hospital it's even more tragic. We are very aware of the difficulties of the situation. Of course, what we have to remember is that the people who are serving in those hospitals also belong to the community, and when transmissions were high in those communities, there was always a possibility that COVID could get in in that way. Also, we just heard, passionately, how Rhys ab Owen was keen to see his loved one; there are also people who wanted to see loved ones in hospital. That should demonstrate to you the difficult balance and the difficult calls we have to make in this situation. Every time you let somebody in, there is a risk. And that risk, in particular in a hospital—you're allowing people to go into one of the most difficult and sensitive areas, where, if people catch COVID, the problems could be catastrophic, and have been. So, I just think that this balance has been extremely difficult. Of course, if you're already in hospital, you are likely to be more vulnerable, and therefore if it gets into hospital, as it has, and as, I'm afraid, it will continue to—. But we have put all measures in place; we've set out very, very strict guidelines. We have tried to learn as we've gone along in this area, and, of course, with all of those infections, where we've had those incidents of patient safety, each case has been investigated thoroughly to see what we can learn.