THE health board has shared advice to people in Flintshire and Wrexham who may have fears about the coronavirus.

The advice is to carry on life as normal.

A spokesman for Betsi Cadwaladar University Health Board, which oversees Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor, said: “We urge patients to continue to follow the advice provided by Public Health Wales, which remains for people to carry on their lives as normal. There are only two patients with a positive test for COVID-19 in Wales.

“Members of the public can help protect themselves and others by always carrying tissues, and using them to catch coughs or sneezes. They should bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash their hands with soap and water, or use a sanitiser gel. This is the best way to slow the spread of most germs, including Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).”

“Information and advice on coronavirus is available on our website, and on the websites of Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government. We ask that people look online before deciding whether they need to dial 111, which can now be used from anywhere in Wales.”

At the Countess of Chester Hospital, which serves Deeside as well as Cheshire West, there has been a fall in people attending outpatient appointments which has been put down to concerns about coronavirus.

A spokesman said: "We have noticed that some patients are not keeping their outpatients appointments and fear they may be worried about Coronavirus. Please be reassured that our usual clinics are running and we don’t want you to suffer with a condition that needs to be treated in our care.

"All staff at The Countess are following infection control advice and working hard to keep you safe."

The advice comes after several key developments, with the number of UK cases of coronavirus rising to 116 on Thursday an older patient, reported to be a woman in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed.

Nationally, health chiefs say people diagnosed with coronavirus who show only "very minimal" symptoms should self-isolate at home rather than in hospital, while new advice was issued to travellers returning to the UK from anywhere in Italy that they should self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

People suspecting they may have the virus are asked not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital but to call 111 if they feel they need to speak to someone.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Wales and the whole of the UK is prepared for these types of incidents. Public Health Wales is working closely with our partners in the Welsh Government, the wider NHS in Wales, and the other UK countries. We have implemented our planned response, with robust infection control measures in place to protect the health of the public.”

Coronavirus presents with flu-like symptoms including a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing. The current evidence is that most cases appear to be mild.

For more information visit https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19