Fifty-three people were discharged from hospital into Welsh care homes within 15 days of a positive Covid test at the start of the pandemic, figures released to the Welsh Conservatives show.
In a response to a written question from Andrew RT Davies, Labour's Health Minister Vaughan Gething said that 167 patients were discharged to a care home after a positive test between 1 March and 31 May.
Just under a third of those were discharged within two weeks of the positive test and were among 1,729 transferred in March, April, and May.
Commenting on the new figures, Welsh Conservative health spokesperson, Andrew RT Davies MS said:
"At the start of the pandemic more than a thousand patients were discharged from Welsh hospitals without a test, and this latest information now shows 167 people who were known to have tested positive for coronavirus, were also sent to Welsh care homes.
"A troubling third of these people were transferred within 15 days after a positive test, potentially introducing the virus into one of the most vulnerable settings in Welsh society on a widespread scale.
"These numbers sadly show that the Welsh Labour-led Government was unaware of the devastating impact such a decision might have, and it's important that the future inquiry fully examines the reasons why this took place and brings justice for the families of those who may have tragically lost loved ones.
"Significant concerns remain regarding the Labour adminsitration's approach to care homes and we again repeat our call for those most vulnerable in our society to be protected with scaled-up, targeted interventions such as regular screening of patient-facing staff."