- ITV Report
Operations may be cancelled to control spread of coronavirus, First Minister warns
The First Minister has said routine procedures in the Welsh NHS may have to be cancelled if the spread of coronavirus worsens.
He confirmed as of Monday morning, there was one confirmed case of a patient diagnosed with the virus in Wales.
Mark Drakeford suggested emergency legislation will be announced by UK Government later this week and warned of a "worst case scenario" of the number of people who could be infected with coronavirus in Wales.
The number of people sickened by the virus has climbed to more than 88,000 globally and there have been more than 3,000 deaths, most of them in China - the epicentre of the virus.
Mr Drakeford attended the prime minister's Cobra meeting where Boris Johnson warned the coronavirus outbreak is likely to spread in the UK .
The problem will become "more significant" in the coming days and weeks, the prime minster said, before adding there is a plan to protect the public.
During his monthly press conference, the First Minister said testing has taken place with people suspected of the virus with 95% being carried out at home.
Public Health Wales said a total number of 263 people in Wales had been tested for coronavirus as of 27 February - but the figure for confirmed cases remained at one.
Mark Drakeford added the advice is for people to "carry on in the normal way of conducting their lives and businesses" and the government must be "guided by the science".
"At this stage at the progress of the virus, the United Kingdom continues to be 'business as usual mode'.
"Efforts are being made to contain the spread... but other than that, the advice is for people to carry on. If people do develop a flu-like symptoms, the advice is not to go to A&E or to a doctor, but you should phone first through NHS Direct or the 111 service and you will get good advice", he said.
When asked, he said a figure of 50-80% "in that sort of ballpark" would be a reasonable expectation of the infection rate.
You can see the latest numbers on the COVID-19 outbreak on the WHO website.
How did the coronavirus start?
On December 31 last year, the World Health Organization was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
On January 12, Covid-19 was identified in samples obtained from cases.
Initial analysis suggested that this was the cause of the outbreak and it is thought to have originated from an illegal wildlife market, possibly from a pangolin (a scaly anteater which is prized in China for its use in traditional medicine).
Is there a cure for coronavirus?
There is currently no specific treatment for the coronavirus.
Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses, and treatment aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness.
The NHS advice is to stay in isolation and away from other people until you've recovered.
Work is being done to create a vaccine, but one is weeks, if not months, away.