13 more deaths and 4,240 new positive cases
THIRTEEN 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 4,240 new positive cases, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 412,534.
The 13 new additional deaths recorded bring the overall toll within 28 days of a positive Covid test to 6,063 in Wales.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales based on the cases for every 100,000 people (seven days up to October 16) now stands at 651.9 – a sharp rise from the 617 reported on Wednesday.
The rate of people being taken into hospital with Covid also appears to be starting to rise.
The local authority with the highest infection rate in Wales is now Blaenau Gwent with 1,046 cases per 100,000 population over seven days, followed by Torfaen with 940.8 and Caerphilly with 874.2. Blaenau Gwent is now the local authority with the highest infection rate in the UK. The highest in England is Bath and North-east Somerset with 877.
The test positivity rate across Wales has risen to 22.1%, meaning more than a fifth of all those getting tests are coming back positive. Nearly a third of people in Blaenau Gwent are having their test come back positive (29.2%) – the highest of any local authority – with Caerphilly and Neath Port Talbot not far behind at 27.1%.
The areas of the country recording the highest numbers of Covid cases in the latest 24-hour period were Cardiff with 596, Caerphilly with 381, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 352, Newport with 247, Vale of Glamorgan with 244, Neath Port Talbot with 225, Swansea with 199 and Pembrokeshire with 193.
Powys and Bridgend both had 173 new cases, Carmarthenshire had 163, Monmouthshire had 144, Blaenau Gwent had 140, Gwynedd had 134, Denbighshire and Flintshire had 126 and Torfaen had 115. Local authorities with the lowest numbers of cases included Ceredigion with 106, Conwy with 92, Wrexham with 87, Merthyr Tydfil with 79 and Anglesey with 45.
As of Thursday there were 673 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a rise on the 656 reported the previous day.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (UHB) had the most Covid patients in general and acute hospital beds on October 20 with 168, followed by Cardiff and Vale
UHB with 120, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with 110, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with 103, Swansea Bay UHB with 91 and Hywel Dda UHB with 81.
On Thursday Public Health Wales figures showed that 2,420,558 people have had one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,238,258 have had both doses.
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to October 15: Blaenau Gwent: 1,046.3 (up from 861.7); Torfaen: 940.8 (up from 878); Caerphilly: 874.2 (up from 772.6); Neath Port Talbot: 851.3 (up from 741.7); Vale of Glamorgan: 824.2 (up from 778.5); Cardiff: 800.8 (up from 795.3); Pembrokeshire: 759 (down from 767.8); Newport: 724.4 (up from 639.4); Monmouthshire: 694.6 (up from 651.2); Rhondda Cynon Taf: 656.1 (up from 583.6); Merthyr Tydfil: 641.5 (up from 565.3); Denbighshire: 611.3 (up from 601.9); Carmarthenshire: 606 (up from 594.9); Powys: 593.5 (up from 567.8); Swansea: 549 (down from 554.3); Anglesey: 524 (down from 538.2); Bridgend: 492.4 (up from 454.3); Gwynedd: 447.2 (up from 442.4); Conwy: 395 (up from 389.1); Wrexham: 384.7 (down from 386.9); Flintshire: 370.9 (down from 380.5); Ceredigion: 353.5 (up from 338.4). All-wales average: 651.9 (up from 617)