Covid vaccine milestone as one million get first jab

MORE than one million people in Wales have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Public Health Wales said today.

The milestone comes as the infection rate continues to drop with fewer than 170 new cases reported. Three more deaths with Covid-19 were also reported in the last 24 hours.

The figures from Public Health Wales published on Tuesday, March 9, reveal that 166 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the latest 24-hour period, a slight increase from the 164 reported on Monday.

This brings the total since the start of the pandemic to 205,368.

The number of people who have died with coronavirus in Wales within a month of a positive test now stands at 5,406.

The infection rate across Wales is now 44 cases per 100,000 of population based on the seven days up to March 4, a drop on a figure of 45 reported on Monday and now well below the 50 cases figure the Welsh Government had previously highlighted as a key benchmark in its lockdown planning.

The percentage of tests coming back with positive results is also continuing to fall and is now below the key 5% benchmark at 4.7% in the last seven days.

The latest data also shows that Wales has passed the milestone of one million people who have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The data shows that 1,007,391 have now received the first dose and a further 192,030 have had both jabs.

Conwy saw the highest number of new cases reported on Tuesday with 23, followed by Caerphilly with 17 and Swansea with 13 cases.

Rhondda Cynon Taf saw 11 new cases and Newport and Gwynedd both nine cases each.

Anglesey, Cardiff, Flintshire and Carmarthenshire all reported eight new cases.

Denbighshire, Vale of Glamorgan and Neath Port Talbot saw six new cases while Blaenau Gwent, Wrexham and Bridgend saw five.

Four cases were reported in Powys, three in Monmouthshire while Torfaen, Merthyr Tydfil and Pembrokeshire all saw two cases.

Ceredigion reported no new cases on Tuesday.

Blaenau Gwent, Wrexham and Bridgend reported five cases each.

The latest figures come as the Welsh Government has explained why it may still impose restrictions on where people can travel in Wales once the “stay home” orders are lifted.

On Friday, Mark Drakeford is expected to announce that people in Wales are no longer required to stay home. saw