Zero deaths with Covid reported across Wales

WALES reported no new deaths related to coronavirus yesterday.

The latest daily update from Public Health Wales (PHW) recorded 150 new positive cases in the last 24-hour period, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 207,992.

The number of people who have died with coronavirus in Wales within a month of a positive test remains at 5,488.

The infection rate across Wales is now 41.8 cases per 100,000 of population based on the seven days up to March 17, which is slightly down from 42 on Sunday and below the key Welsh Government benchmark of 50.

A rise in infection rates last week was caused primarily by outbreaks in some local authority areas including Merthyr Tydfil, Anglesey and Conwy. A new testing programme has been launched on Anglesey as a result.

The percentage of tests coming back with positive results is now below the key 5% benchmark at 3.5% in the last seven days.

The data show that 1,273,186 people have now received a first dose of the vaccine and a further 346,058 have had both jabs.

Cardiff saw the highest number of new cases reported yesterday with 19 followed by Flintshire with 14, Newport with 13, Anglesey with 12, Swansea with 11 and Blaenau Gwent with 10.

All other local authorities had fewer than 10 new cases including Merthyr Tydfil with eight, Caerphilly and Gwynedd each with seven, Conwy and Powys each with six, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire each with five, Torfaen, Bridgend and Pembrokeshire each with three, Denbighshire, Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taf with two each and Wrexham with one.

Both Monmouthshire and Ceredigion reported no cases yesterday.