you announced recently that antibody
testing will be introduced how soon will
that be and who will qualify for that
testing well I beat a number of weeks
before that's in place and that's
because the four nations of the UK the
four governments have agreed on being
able to purchase and acquire antibody
tests and when they'll be in place we'll
be able to give more detail over the
coming weeks and then about how that
will be used to track people who we
think you've had covert 19 already and
to understand whether the antibody test
will be not just helpful but how helpful
but all of us think that we're really
helpful in making sure that not just
health service workers not just social
care workers but people across the
country gather back about their business
number of weeks do you roughly you know
we're talking four weeks five weeks
eight weeks I don't think we hopeful to
give a guesstimate and when that'll be
but we'll certainly be clear when we're
much nearer the time when give you
certainty because the initial testing is
one thing but then the larger numbers
the role is where I think it'd be much
more significant if the public BMA Kamri
Wales are saying that they are still
getting complaints about the adequacy
and supply of personal protective
equipment for health care workers they
spoke to a doctor in a hospital who said
that he's only got enough mask supplies
until today there are real concerns
still in some areas despite the
assurances you're giving a bag personal
protective equipment that there are
serious gaps still there well we've
distributed over 3.4 million items of
personal protects our equipment in Wales
since the start of this crisis over this
weekend about 600,000 respirator mass
have gone out to health boards across
Wales on top of that so we are putting
our significant amounts of personal
protective equipment for our frontline
workers but will you go riding but there
are gaps but infection is spreading but
I do know that there are localized
problems and where each of those come up
my expectation is the health boards deal
with them now this isn't a perfect world
and I know that those gaps mean that
health service workers and people
they're caring for will be
understandably concerned and I am too so
I don't want to try to say that having
is perfect because I know it isn't what
we will do is what we should do continue
to deal with all of those challenges as
they arise to resupply the PPE
we have got to make sure that the rapid
review on personal protective equipment
is taking place and I expect to see the
results at tomorrow
that we then need to make sure that we
provide PP in accordance with that
guidance is there a danger that you will
run out of PPE supplies as this outbreak
continues over the weeks and months
ahead I don't think that's gonna happen
but there's always a risk that we could
see demand outstrip supply in in any
position and the whole world is trying
to get personal protective equipment but
I think we will be able to resupply and
actually to do that in accordance with
the guidance that I expect to come out
and to be renewed tomorrow and it's
really important that people who need
people you get it it's also really
important that we don't provide PPE to
people who don't need it because that
will mean that those frontline workers
across health and social care in
particular who need PPE will see those
supplies depleted much more quickly than
they shouldn't be there are frontline
health workers who feel that the
guidance is being defined by rationing
because there aren't enough supplies
that isn't the base upon which the
technical guidance is provided and
produced a challenge I think is that
lots of our frontline workers I just
like you and me they're worried about
themselves about their families and
about the country what we need to be
able to do is to restate the guidance it
should be in place and we'll have that
rapid review completed tomorrow is my
understanding but then to act in
accordance with that guidance and
there'll be evidence and technical
specification behind that guidance and
that should give our staff competence I
hope the public confidence and it's then
our job to make sure that we can
resupply PPE in accordance with their
guidance and very briefly how many extra
hospital beds do you think Wales will
need in the weeks and months ahead well
we're only looking at creating at least
5,000 and potentially more yeah there
are thousands of new beds being created
so really big numbers right across the
country and that capacity is needed
because what are the lessons of Italy
has been the ability to get people out
of the hospital system as it currently
is and into step-down care that then
allows people who do have significant
healthcare needs to go in to that more
acute setting and when do you see this
lockdown being lifted it'll be weeks and
weeks into the future we'll review where
we are within three weeks time but no
one should assume that all the measures
we put in place will end in three weeks
that isn't in accordance with what we
understand it going to happen with the
course of coronavirus we don't we don't
expect a peak for example for a number
of weeks into the future so the only way
do you expect the peak do you think at
the moment what our chief medical
officer has been clear from the start
that he thinks the peak is likely in May
maybe made you now so no lifting in the
lockdown before then I would be very
very surprised if the scientific
evidence the advice of our chief medical
officers was such that we could lift a
lockdown
before that period of time and it makes
sense done if we don't expect the peak
of this to me until the end of April
into May maybe into June we're not going
to lift the restrictions that are in
place to keep all of us safe but those
people that are vulnerable who needs
reflected but also people like you and
me who may not be an ache at of being
the most vulnerable but we could still
catch coronavirus and we could still be
significant affected too so this isn't
again it's real and it's serious about
protecting lies and maintaining the
capacity of our Health Service to do
just that
you