There have been an extra 39 cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus identified in Wales in the last week, it has been revealed.
Data from Public Health Wales (PHW) shows a total of 97 cases of the Indian variant have so far been identified in Wales with 39 being reported in the last seven days.
The World Health Organisation has renamed all Covid variants, with the Indian variant (VOC-21APR-02 strain) now being known as Delta.
It is not known where these cases have been identified. However on Wednesday, PHW revealed that 35 cases of the Indian variant had been located in seaside resorts over the bank holiday weekend.
The cases were found in Llandudno Junction, Llandudno and Penrhyn Bay. It follows 18 cases being discovered in this region on Friday, May 28, meaning the total number now stands at 53. Conwy county now has the second highest Covid infection rate in Wales.
Public Health Wales, Conwy County Borough Council and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board are urging people living in those areas to be alert for coronavirus symptoms and to take a test as soon as possible even if they have no symptoms.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan described the situation as "very serious" and warned it could have an impact on the easing of restrictions due to be announced on Friday.
The current evidence is that variant VOC-21APR-02 is at least as easy to catch as the dominant Kent variant, but it may be slightly more transmissible. The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are effective against the variants first identified in India after two doses.
She said: "This is becoming very serious. We need to make sure that we try and nip this in the bud in that particular area and obviously all of this will play into how we assess the situation on Friday.
"I don't think we'd define it quite yet as community transmission, but it's on its way to becoming that and that's why we really need people in the area to co-operate with us… to make sure that we can try and suppress this particular variant.
"The last thing we want to see is this spreading across the whole of Wales."
