No new covid-19 deaths reported in wales
HEALTH OFFICIALS REPORT FIRST DAY WITHOUT A CORONAVIRUS DEATH SINCE OCTOBER 5
THERE have been no new deaths related to coronavirus in Wales for the first time during the second wave of the pandemic.
The figure reported yesterday was described as “encouraging” by a leading health official, and marked the first time no new cases were reported in the daily update since the early autumn.
It came as education minister Kirsty Williams said she is still planning for all children to start returning to school on Monday, following the return of youngest primary school pupils two weeks ago.
Speaking yesterday, Dr Giri Shankar, incident director for coronavirus at Public Health Wales (PHW), said: “Today the Public Health Wales Covid19 dashboard will be reporting zero deaths for the first time since early October.
“While this is encouraging news, it should be noted that there is often a lag in reporting deaths following the weekend.”
The figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) yesterday also reveal 164 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the latest 24-hour period, a drop from 152 reported on Sunday.
This brings the total since the start of the pandemic to 205,202.
The number of people who have died with coronavirus in Wales within a month of a positive test remains at 5,403.
The infection rate across Wales is now 45 cases per 100,000 of population based on the seven days up to March 3, a drop on a figure of 46 reported on Sunday and now well below the 50 cases figure the Welsh Government had previously highlighted as a key benchmark in its lockdown planning.
Dr Shankar added: “The weekly incidence of Covid-19 infections is now below 50 cases per 100,000 population in more than half of the local authorities in Wales, with the overall rate at 44.6 cases per 100,000. “This does vary between local authority areas and therefore we remind the public that Level 4 restrictions are still in place. You should stay at home, work from home if you can, wear a face covering where required, wash your hands regularly and stay two metres from anyone you do not live with.”
Meanwhile, speaking at the latest Welsh Government coronavirus briefing yesterday, education minister Kirsty Williams outlined the latest position on the return of pupils to schools in Wales.
All children will start returning to the classroom from Monday. There should then be a full return of children to the classroom in Wales after the Easter holidays. The holidays end on April 12.
Ms Williams said: “It has been wonderful to see our youngest learners back in the classroom with their friends over the last two weeks, and vocational learners starting to return to college.
“Next week, we will see the rest of our primary pupils return to school, as well as groups of learners in secondary, and more college students.
“Schools will also have the flexibility to bring in pupils in years 10 and 12, to support them to progress to the next stage of their learning.
“We are also giving schools additional flexibility so that learners in Years 7, 8 and 9 are given the opportunity to check in and spend some valuable time in the school environment with their teachers.
“It is still my expectation that, if the conditions allow, we would see a full return of all learners after the Easter break.”
All schoolchildren in England returned yesterday.
Asked if she regretted that children in Wales weren’t also all going back to school, she replied: “What’s really important to remember is that in February Sage was very clear that a phased return to school was critically important in being able to monitor the return to school and that’s what we have been doing in Wales,” she said.
The youngest children in Wales returned two weeks ago and all primary school children and pupils taking exams are set to return to face-to-face teaching from next Monday. Children in Years 7, 8 and 9 will also have one or two days back in school before Easter.
In her statement, Ms Williams said: “It is still my expectation that, if the conditions allow, we would see a full return of all learners after the Easter break.”
She said the Welsh Government is also announcing an extra £72m to help recruit teachers and teaching assistants to help recover and raise standards.
The funding will include the continuation of the Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards programme into the next academic year, extra learning resources and support for foundation phase learners in schools and childcare settings that provide early education.
Support will also be targeted at learners in years 11, 12 and 13, to provide additional help with their transition into the next stage.
Funding will also be used to support 1,400 trainee teachers currently in Initial Teacher Education, enabling them to complete their practical experience in the autumn, complete their qualifications and move into full-time teaching.
The minister also said she was “very grateful” for school, college and local authority staff for “embracing” the testing programme in schools.
By the end of this week more than five and a half million lateral flow tests will have been distributed to schools,
colleges and childcare settings across Wales.
They will be used so that pupils can carry out quick tests to determine if they have Covid.
“It will be an important measure to provide further assurances,” she said.
She added said that pupils in years 11 to 13 and their parents would be encourage to take them at home.
Twice-weekly Covid testing for older pupils is being offered, using lateral flow tests at home.
“They are not mandatory,” she said. “Students will be able to access education without taking the test.
“It will give everyone greater levels of assurance. “
The Welsh Government will be announcing the results of its latest review on lockdown restrictions on Friday.
The hope is that more easing of rules surrounding the coronavirus pandemic will follow but at this stage it appears that any changes announced by First Minister Mark Drakeford will be minor and gradual.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s figures from PHW showed Gwynedd remains the local authority with the highest seven-day rolling infection rate up to March 3, with 77.1 cases per 100,000 people.
Anglesey has the second-highest infection rate with 72.8 cases per 100,000 people and Conwy is third with 69.1 cases per 100,000.
Cardiff had the highest number of new cases reported yesterday with 22, followed by Wrexham with 13, Gwynedd with 12, Newport with 11 and Caerphilly, Conwy and Flintshire all with 10 each.
Powys has reported nine new cases, Rhondda Cynon Taf eight, and Swansea seven, while Torfaen, Anglesey, the Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, and Carmarthenshire each reported five.
Blaenau Gwent had four, Bridgend, Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot had three apiece, while Monmouthshire and Denbighshire both had two. Ceredigion had just one new case.
The percentage of tests coming back with positive results is continuing to fall and is now below the key 5% benchmark at 4.8% in the last seven days.
The latest data also shows Wales is now approaching almost one million people who have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
The data shows 998,296 have now received the first dose and a further 183,739 have had both jabs.
Meanwhile Dr Shankar confirmed the dominant strain of Covid in Wales remains the Kent variant, adding: “There is currently no evidence of widespread community transmission of other Variants of Concern in Wales.”