A SECOND person in Wales has died after testing positive for COVID-19, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales has said.

Dr Frank Atherton confirms a second person in Wales has died after contracting COVID-19.

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton said: “I’m sorry to report that a second patient in Wales who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died. I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their request for privacy is respected.

“The patient, who had underlying health conditions, was 96 years old and was being treated at the Morriston Hospital.”

The news follows the announcement today (Tuesday) that the total number of confirmed cases in Wales has risen to 136 but there are no new cases in North Wales.

Dr Giri Shankar, incident director for the Novel Coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We can confirm that 12 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 136.

“As we are currently only testing within hospitals, this is likely to underestimate the true number of cases.”

The advice for the public has changed:

• People are being advised to stay at home for 14 days if they, or anyone in their household, has either a high temperature or a new and continuous cough

• People are now being advised to avoid non-essential contact with others and unnecessary travel

• People are being asked to work from home where they possibly can, and avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and social venues

• People in at-risk groups will be asked within days to be largely shielded from social contact for 12 weeks