HYWEL Dda chief Steve Moore presented a video to reassure residents that all was being done to prepare the health board to fight the coronavirus.
In the YouTube video, watched more than 11,000 times on Facebook, Mr Moore said he too had been hit by the virus after a holiday and was lucky to suffer only mild symptoms.
The video aims to reassure patients and staff that the “health board is doing everything in our power to rise to the challenges that we are all facing right now.”
He adds the he understands people feel worried and anxious but Hywel Dda has been working hard on plans and enacting them to ensure people are as safe as possible.
There are likely to be changes to services and arrangements, he added, as well as the use of temporary buildings, with individual hospitals having different action plans and designated areas.
Mr Moore shared people’s worries, having tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago he said, with Tuesday (March 24) his first day back in the office after two weeks self-isolation.
“I was lucky, my symptoms were quite mild and I was over it in about a week but I have to say it was a huge shock to get that diagnosis, it was not something I expected at all.
“Most people will have these mild symptoms but of course those with more vulnerabilities, underlying conditions, these are the people we need to protect.”