A DOUBLING of coronavirus cases at Wrexham Maelor Hospital has been described as a ‘re-spike’ by Wales’ health minister.

Vaughan Gething addressed the nation with the latest updates on the coronavirus situation in Wales at a press conference on Monday, November 23.

Concerns about the recent rise in cases at the Maelor Hospital were discussed after the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) reported on Friday that cases linked to the outbreak had more than doubled in a week from 20 to 49.

The Health Minister said that the ‘active infection’ at the North Wales Hospital was being managed but that a recent ‘re-spike’ in cases had breached through defences in place.

Mr Gething said: “There is an active infection that is being managed, an outbreak in the Maelor.

“It has gotten worse from where it was two weeks ago and we have seen a recent re-spike. We are looking to understand exactly what is happening and the measures being taken.

“This really highlights this pernicious infection, it is highly infectious and if you think you’ve got it under control then a breach through our defences can lead to significant harm very, very quickly.”

The Labour MS added that these situations are a stark reminder that, with high community transmission rates in most parts of Wales, it is “so important” for us all to take the right steps.

He continued: “It is also so important for people to make use of PPE in different settings and those really strict prevention and control measures.

“Even with all of those happening, with the level of transmission taking place, it is still possible that we will see outbreaks in our hospitals. That is why wea real looking to see how far can we suppress coronavirus in each of these closed environments.”

A second outbreak of coronavirus was reported at the hospital by the Leader on November 6 and the health board have been providing weekly updates on the number of cases as they fight to bring the infection under control.

On November 20, the acting deputy executive medical director for BCUHB, Dr Kate Clark, said: “As of this morning there are currently 49 COVID-19 cases associated with the outbreak at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

“We would ask the public to continue to follow the government guidelines to help reduce the risk of infection our communities.

"This not only helps us to keep our staff and patients safe, but will also keep your families and loved ones safe as well.”