The first patient to be diagnosed with coronavirus in Wales had been on a skiing trip with his family in Italy, WalesOnline understands.
A source has said the Swansea man, who was aged in his 50s, contacted NHS Direct Wales on 111 on Sunday, was tested on Tuesday and received the results on Wednesday, confirming he had the virus, official name COVID-1.
The man has since been taken for treatment at one of four centres dealing with coronavirus cases in England.
But the source was critical of some events since the diagnosis was confirmed.
They said the patient was asked for a list of people he had been in contact with.
"We were told we would all be contacted - we weren't," the source said.
"I rang 111 yesterday (Thursday) to ask what was I supposed to do."
They said the call answering system on 111 seemed to suggest they would be put through to a specialist call handler for coronavirus. However, pressing that option just got them through to the main line with options for people who had dental problems and other common ailments.
The source added, that after eventually getting through, they were promised a call back from the health protection team.
"They rang last night (Thursday) and told me I needed to be isolated. They then rang back and said 'sorry, we shouldn't have told you that'. Then they rang back at around 11.20pm and said somebody would be coming to test us."
Health organisations are following national guidance on coronavirus and it's understood responses to cases depend on the individual's circumstances, including their level of contact with a suspected infected person.
But the source said they still hadn't heard anything by 10am today so they called 111 again.
"They said they're very, very busy but I needed to stay put.
"There were other people who had all been in contact with this person and they're all having the same problem as me."
"Some have been tested and others haven't. Some have been told to keep their kids at home and others haven't."
A document on coronavirus on the Public Health Wales website says infection normally takes place through close contact with a person who has the virus - which means being less than two metres away for more than 15 minutes. But it says it can also take place by touching contaminated surfaces.
It says the risk to the general public is low unless you have recently returned from a specific country or region - find out more here , although that hasn't stopped people from stripping shelves bare of hand santitizer products .
The advice says there are general principles people can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses such as Novel Coronavirus.
These include:
- Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell
- If you feel unwell, stay at home and do not attend work or school
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue then throw the tissue in the bin, and then wash your hands immediately
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home and work environment.
In response to the Swansea case and the comments from the woman associated with the patient, a Public Health Wales spokesman said: “Public Health Wales follows UK guidance in responding to suspected cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are not able to comment on individual cases due to the need to respect patient confidentiality.
