Another 15 deaths and over 3,000 new cases

FIFTEEN more people have died with coronavirus in Wales according to latest figures from Public Health Wales (PHW).

The data published yesterday also revealed there were 3,130 new positive cases bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 392,282.

The 15 additional deaths recorded brings the overall toll within 28 days of a positive Covid test to 6,005 in Wales.

The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales based on the cases for every 100,000 people (seven days up to October 10) now stands at 531.7 – a very slight drop on the 531.9 reported on Thursday.

The local authority with the highest infection rate in Wales is Torfaen with 709.9 cases per 100,000 population over seven days followed by Cardiff with 705.4 and Vale of Glamorgan with 696.9.

Test positivity rates across Wales have risen from 15.2% to 17.6% in a week, with Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan having the joint greatest proportion of tests coming back positive at 21.3%.

The areas of the country recording the highest numbers of Covid cases in the latest 24-hour period were Cardiff with 376, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 272, Swansea with 251, Caerphilly with 196, Neath Port Talbot with 195 and Carmarthenshire with 183.

Meanwhile Newport had 175 new cases, Torfaen had 150, Pembrokeshire had 146, Powys had 137, Vale of Glamorgan had 135, Bridgend had 113 and Monnmouthshire had 104.

The local authorities with the lowest numbers of cases included Gwynedd with 98, Denbighshire with 93, Blaenau Gwent with 85, Flintshire with 79, Anglesey with 76, Wrexham with 68, Conwy with 61, Merthyr Tydfil with 53 and Ceredigion with 25.

As of Thursday there were 618 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering) – up on the 601 reported in the previous day’s figures.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (UHB) had the most Covid patients in general and acute hospital beds on October 14 with 149, followed by Cardiff and Vale UHB with 112, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB also with 112, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with 98, Swansea Bay UHB with 77, and Hywel Dda UHB with 70.

As of Thursday there were 51 people in invasive ventilated beds in Wales with coronavirus.

Hywel Dda UHB UHB had the joint most with 12, followed by Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with 11, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with 10, Swansea Bay UHB with eight, Aneurin Bevan UHB with five, and Cardiff and Vale UHB also with five.