Two more deaths and 53 cases as rate keeps dropping

TWO more people have died with coronavirus in Wales and more than 50 new positive cases have been identified.

New data published by Public Health Wales (PHW) yesterday recorded 53 more positive cases to bring the total number since the pandemic began to 210,978.

Wales’ overall number of lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at 5,542.

The infection rate across Wales now stands at 15.4 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days up to April 15, a drop from 15.9 on Monday.

Meanwhile, the percentage of tests coming back with positive results is now down to 1.7% – significantly below the key benchmark of 5%.

The latest figures also show that 1,699,092 people have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 610,882 people have had both doses.

Newport was the local authority reporting the most cases yesterday with 12 followed by Cardiff with 10, Neath Port Talbot with five, and Flintshire and Swansea with four apiece.

Rhondda Cynon Taf had three new cases, Torfaen, Wrexham, Carmarthenshire and Powys had two each, and Caerphilly, Gwynedd, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Pembrokeshire each had one.

Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Vale of Glamorgan, and Ceredigion all had no new positive cases.

Cases per 100,000 based on seven-day rolling average (April 9 to April 15):

■■Swansea: 29.2 (down from 31.2) ■■Newport: 27.8 (down from 30.4) ■■Gwynedd: 24.9 (up from 24.1) ■■Cardiff: 23.2 (down from 25.6) ■■Flintshire: 19.9 (up from 19.2) ■■Neath Port Talbot: 18.1 (down from 19.5) ■■Wrexham: 16.9 (unchanged) ■■Powys: 16.6 (unchanged) ■■Rhondda Cynon Taf: 15.3 (down from 17)

■■Merthyr Tydfil: 13.3 (down from 14.9)

■■Torfaen: 10.6 (up from 1.1) ■■Vale of Glamorgan: 9.7 (down from 10.5) ■■Carmarthenshire: 9 (down from 9.5)

■■Anglesey: 8.6 (unchanged) ■■Bridgend: 8.2 (up from 6.1) ■■Caerphilly: 7.7 (up from 6.1) ■■Conwy: 7.7 (down from 8.5) ■■Ceredigion: 6.9 (unchanged) ■■Denbighshire: 6.3 (down from 7.3) ■■Pembrokeshire: 4.8 (down from 7.2) ■■Monmouthshire: 4.2 (unchanged)

■■Blaenau Gwent: 1.4 (down from 7.2)

■■All-Wales average: 15.4 (down from 15.9)