'The worst-case scenario for that third wave is worse than last winter,' warns Mark Drakeford

More people in Wales are going maintain hospital with Covid within the next a month according to the First Minister Mark Drakeford.

Speaking during an in depth interview with WalesOnline. he said that a third wave was now "inevitable" but how badly it affects our way of life "is still to experience for".

Read more: See our live coverage of the First Minister's press conference today as he answers questions about Wales' decision to place easing on hold

When inquired about the most recent modelling for Wales the very first Minister said: "You will find models which are very sobering indeed.

"At worst end, if things were really to get out of hand and that we would possess a really significant impact in the Delta variant then the peak of hospital admissions can also be higher than the height we had in within the oncoming of this season.

"But if you factor other activities into the model such as the season and vaccination levels then that peak can be significantly suppressed. There's going to be a peak. More people are going to get sick in Wales over the next a month then during the last a month. More people are going to need hospital treatment in the next a month compared to last a month.

"But if we all do all the right things and stick to the rules in the way i was referring to earlier, then your chance of suppressing that peak to some much more manageable level remains."

Yesterday it had been announced the number of instances of the Delta variant in Wales had risen with a further 184 since Monday.

This means 488 confirmed cases of the more transmissible strain, which is considered to have originated from India, have finally been identified in Wales. It is important to keep in mind that the exact figures will probably be substantially higher due to reporting delays.

Public Health Wales aims to sequence ever positive Covid case however this isn't feasible due to quality of some samples. Even those that are sequenced it can take up to and including week to get those results back and therefore his figure of 488 is likely considerable higher.

Speaking about the third wave driven by the delta variant the very first Minister said: The 3rd wave is now inevitable. But the extent that comes with an effect on all our lives is not – that is still to experience for."

Mr Drakeford added that he still didn't expect to have to close gyms, schools or pubs to combat an upswing.

"Yes, I don't anticipate those closures is going to be necessary," he said. "Definitely not around the advice we're receiving at the moment."