Another small drop in number of new cases

WALES has recorded more than 280 new positive cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

Public Health Wales (PHW) has confirmed there were 286 new labconfirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded for Monday, September 28 – down from 362 on Sunday and 370 on Saturday.

The NHS body also added that no new deaths from the virus had been reported to them, meaning the total remains at 1,612.

The figures came as Neath Port Talbot, the Vale of Glamorgan and Torfaen went into lockdown last night.

Local restrictions were already in place in Cardiff, Swansea, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Llanelli, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Newport.

There are now rising coronavirus weekly infection rates in several other areas, including Denbighshire, Flintshire and Conwy that are now close to the level at which the Welsh Government has been introducing local lockdowns.

Blaenau Gwent continues to record the highest rate of infections in Wales with 304 positive cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days – up on 287.7 the day before.

Blaenau Gwent showed a small decrease in its test positivity rate to 10.4% (compared to 10.6% the day before), but remains way above the national average of 4.7%.

Infection rates for Merthyr Tydfil are the second highest at 227.1 cases per 100,000, compared to 225.4 the day before, while Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) also remains high at 176.2 cases per 100,000 (compared to 171.6 on Sunday).

The Wales average per 100,000 population is now at 67.6, up from 65.3 the day before.

RCT recorded the highest number of cases yesterday with 56, followed by Cardiff with 47 and Swansea with 26.

The other council areas in double figures are Carmarthenshire (18), Blaenau Gwent (17), Caerphilly (13), Flintshire and Merthyr (12) and the Vale of Glamorgan (11).

Neath Port Talbot and Conwy had nine, Bridgend seven, Newport and Denbighshire six, Wrexham, Torfaen and Powys five, Anglesey, Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd two and Monmouthshire one.

Ceredigion was the only local authority to record no new cases of the virus.

These are the seven-day rolling totals for new cases (Sept 18-24). All figures are per 100,000 people:

■ Blaenau Gwent: 304.9 (Up)

■ Merthyr Tydfil: 227.1 (Up)

■ Rhondda Cynon Taf: 176.2 (Up)

■ Bridgend: 100 (Down)

■ Swansea: 97.6 (Up)

■ Cardiff: 69.2 (Up)

■ Carmarthenshire: 66.2 (Down)

■ Torfaen: 52.1 (Up)

■ Caerphilly: 50.3 (Up)

■ Newport: 45.9 (Down)

■ Conwy: 43.5 (Up)

■ Denbighshire: 41.8 (Up)

■ Neath Port Talbot: 41.2 (Up)

■ Flintshire: 39.1 (Unchanged)

■ Vale of Glamorgan: 33.7 (Down)

■ Wrexham: 28 (Up)

■ Anglesey: 20 (Down)

■ Powys: 17.4 (Up)

■ Gwynedd: 12 (Up)

■ Monmouthshire: 10.6 (Up)

■ Pembs: 8.7 (Down)

■ Ceredigion: 8.3 (Up)

■ Wales overall: 67.6 (Up)