Video GP appointments start in response to coronavirus

The Welsh government has announced that video consultations are to be rolled out in Wales in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The government said the consultation will not leave any digital footprint, and appointments are deleted once completed.

The technology was being trialled by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Gwent.

On Thursday, the Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said, the technology will help reduce pressure on GP surgeries and health centres.

He said, “This technology will help people access healthcare advice from their homes, particularly if they are self-isolating because of the virus, while helping the NHS cope with an increase in demand.

“I’m pleased we’re at the forefront of using this digital technology throughout Wales.”

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed Welsh cases of coronavirus currently stands at 19, while as of last Friday 634 people had been tested.

An NHS doctor who is trapped in coronavirus infected Italy has warned the British government to “shut down everything.”

Professor Mohamed Abu Hilal who is quarantined in Bresica, north Italy has said the NHS needs to prepare now for “beds, ventilators, antivirals, doctors and nurses” after witnessing what is happening in Italy.

He said it is not just the elderly who are dying, the young are also even though coronavirus does affect the elderly and vulnerable the most.