Three more deaths and another 320 cases diagnosed

THREE more people have died with coronavirus in Wales and more than 300 new cases of coronavirus in Wales have been diagnosed in the latest 24-hour period.

Public Health Wales (PHW) yesterday recorded 320 new lab-confirmed cases of Covid-19 – a slight drop from 348 the previous day. PHW also confirmed three people had died with lab-confirmed coronavirus, taking the total since the pandemic began in Wales to 1,609.

Blaenau Gwent, which is one of six local authorities currently under a local lockdown, recorded 201.8 positive cases per 100,000 population in the last week – by some way the most of any local authority in Wales. Only four local authorities in England have higher rates in the last week – Bolton (218.4), South Tyneside (205.3), Burnley (204.7) and

Knowsley (204.2).

Blaenau Gwent also had a test positivity rate of 11.9%, way above the national average of 4.6%.

In the past seven days, Blaenau Gwent (population 69,000) has had more positive cases, 141, than Cardiff (population 367,000), which has had 139 cases and has also been put into local lockdown.

Merthyr Tydfil (169.1) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) (128.5) continued to have very high cases per 100,000, while the Wales average per 100,000 population is now at 44.9 – up from 43.2 the day before.

RCT had the highest number of new cases recorded yesterday with 48, followed by Blaenau Gwent with 35, Bridgend with 31, Cardiff with 29 and Swansea with 28. Neath Port Talbot had 19 cases and Carmarthenshire had 11.