27 MORE people have died with the coronavirus in Wales, taking the total up to 193, health chiefs have said.

There are also 302 new confirmed cases in Wales, with the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board - which covers Gwent - seeing the biggest 24-hour rise, with 79 new cases.

It means there are now 3,499 cases in Wales, with 1,103 of those from the Gwent area.

The Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf health boards saw the second and third biggest rises, with 66 (total 888) and 51 (total 534) respectively.

Public Health Wales also said they have now conducted more than 15,000 tests on 13,000 individuals for covid-19 so far.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We offer our condolences to families and friends affected."

- Location of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales

It comes as First Minister Mark Drakeford called for a Cobra meeting between the UK’s four governments to review coronavirus lockdown measures, saying that "a further period of restraint" would be necessary.

At Wales’ daily coronavirus briefing Mr Drakeford said: “As we reach this two-week point it is very important, I believe, that Cobra now meets again to review the regulations as we are required to do, and to make a decision about what happens next.

“It’s important that the four governments of the UK come together to consider the evidence and to decide the best way forward together.”

Asked if he would advocate an extension of the current lockdown, Mr Drakeford said: “I think the lockdown will need to continue beyond Easter Tuesday. That’s when the three weeks formally comes to an end."

“Everything I’ve seen so far suggests to me it would be foolish to throw away the enormous effort everyone has made by simply removing the constraints we’ve been living under at that point.

“We will look at the scientific and medical evidence. But everything suggests to me a further period of restraint will be necessary.”

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Mr Drakeford added that he has wished Prime Minister Boris Johnson a “speedy recovery” as he undergoes tests for coronavirus in hospital.

Mr Drakeford said: “I wrote to the Prime Minister on Thursday of the week before last as soon as he fell ill, wishing him a speedy recovery, and want to repeat that today.

“I hope his stay in hospital will be as short as necessary and that he will soon be on the road to recovery.”

South Wales Argus:

(Boris Johnson was admitted into hospital on Sunday night.)

Asked if Mr Johnson should continue to lead the UK while he is in hospital, Mr Drakeford said: “I’m sure the Prime Minister will be following advice. If the advice from his doctors is he needs to change his working pattern in order to get better, I’m sure he will do that.

“Insofar as he has been working, as we know he has over the last 10 days, he will have been doing that with the advice of his clinician. I’m sure he will follow the best advice he has.”