Coronavirus in Wales

Well, whether we like it not coronavirus (COVID-19) is with us.  At time of writing Wales has 149 confirmed cases with many more probably undetected as yet.

The recent floods were bad enough but how badly could we do with a few years of #Brexit bollocks on the telly right now eh!?  The daily updates on the deadly coronavirus are definitely scary.  It’s a very infectious disease, easily transmitted and spread from person to person, and a real worry for anyone over 70 or for anyone with underlying health issues.

However, the vast majority of people who get infected will recover, just like if you get the flu or have a bad cold.  The virus may cause some damage to the lungs, especially in the vulnerable groups, and the threat of this bug, plus many others like it, may be with us for many years to come, but if we follow the health professionals advice, be sensible and look out for one another we’ll get through it.

With this in mind, rather than look up mortality rates or nightmare scenarios I thought I’d look for the positive things some people are doing:

  • Supermarkets introduce dedicated shopping hours for elderly

Several supermarkets in Wales have set up dedicated shopping hours for the elderly.  They hope to allow the elderly to do their food shopping without having to worry that other customers have emptied the shelves first.

  • Volunteers help vulnerable in self-isolation

In Ireland, Samantha Kelly, who setup the hashtag “#SelfIsolationHelp” has been used to help people who have been advised to stay indoors and reduce their social contact with others. People have been offering assistance and running errands for people who have been asked to self-isolate.

  • Caremongering

Scaremongering is a big problem, so Valentina Harper, in Canada, helped set up 35 Facebook groups as part of a ‘caremongering’ movement.  The aim was to bring people together and do the opposite of panic.

  • Small shops help local community in need

A corner shop in Stenhousemuir, Scotland gave away thousands of pounds worth of free supplies to those in need.  Face-masks, antibacterial hand gel and cleaning wipes were given to over 65s in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus, setting an example many of us can follow.

  • Postcard campaign launched to battle loneliness

While self-isolating may protect individuals from catching or spreading the coronavirus, it is also going to cause loneliness.  Becky Wass, from Cornwall, came up with this great idea to help combat loneliness: a postcard scheme that allows vulnerable members of society to request that others carry out certain errands for them, such as shopping, collecting urgent supplies or alternatively offers something simple like a chat on the phone.  When it is dropped through a person’s door, the members of the household can fill out all the options to dictate what they need.

Italian residents under total lockdown must have found this quite frightening but some communities have been boosting morale with heartwarming sing-alongs.  Not sure the dogs appreciated it though.

  • Nightclub transformed into food distribution centre

London’s 338, has called on ‘young clubbers’ to give up their time to help those in need.  They recently announced a plan to turn the club into a giant warehouse to store food and other essential items.


Here in Pontypridd and the valleys we are a resilient bunch so I’m sure people will look out for one another.

We have dedicated doctors, nurses, council workers and many others who will go above and beyond to keep us safe so let’s all take heart in this and pull together.

Things are changing not just daily at the moment, but hour by hour so by the time you read this it will be out of date but just recently (a few hours ago) a report was released that showed ‘Favipiravir‘ – a drug used to treat flu has had great results in treating patients with coronavirus.  In Cuba, they too have a treatment that works against this virus and in China it was used alongside 30 other possible drugs.  So fingers crossed we’ll have a treatment or even a cure soon and we can all get back to life as it was before.

As Cicero wrote to a friend in 46 BC, “You must hope for the best.”

Stay positive Ponty people!


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1 Response

  1. Valley people wouldn’t dare do otherwise, Dave

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