Royal Gwent Hospital has no confirmed coronavirus cases

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board confirmed the news on Wednesday - but stressed this does not mean the coronavirus has gone away.

“We can confirm we currently have no positive Covid-19 cases at the Royal Gwent Hospital,” said an Aneurin Bevan University Health Board spokeswoman.

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“This is great news and shows the amazing efforts of all our NHS staff and the community adhering to guidance from the Welsh Government over the last few months.

“However, we still have a number of recovering Covid-19 patients at the hospital who have previously tested positive and have since tested negative.

“We also have a number of suspected Covid-19 cases awaiting test results.

“It is important to remember that this virus is still circulating within our communities and the advice remains the same that it is important we continue to follow Welsh Government guidance to keep Wales safe.”

This is a major milestone for the health board region, which was one of the worst affected areas in the early stages of lockdown, not just in Wales but across the whole of the UK.

Health board chief executive Judith Paget said this milestone was “great news” for the health board, and paid tribute to the work of hospital staff.

“Since the first confirmed case in early March the whole team has worked incredibly hard and responded to the pandemic with care, compassion and professionalism and always putting patients first,” she said.

First minister Mark Drakeford and health minister Vaughan Gething have both previously spoke about why the region had been so severely hit by the virus.

Mr Gething highlighted Gwent’s position on the border with England, adding that its traffic flows and links to London made it unique to other border regions, while Mr Drakeford said the region had “a higher proportion of older and sicker residents than other areas of Wales.”

The first minister also referenced an early case of health board staff contracting the virus, and noted that testing had begun earlier in the region than elsewhere in Wales.

The latest Public Health Wales figures showed there had been two new cases in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region, although neither of these were recorded at the Gwent.

The total number of confirmed cases in the region is 2,633 and the death toll is 275.