New figures reveal Wales’s infection rate now highest since start of pandemic

WALES’S seven-day coronavirus infection rate has now reached the highest level since the pandemic began, it has been revealed.

New figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) published yesterday, show there were 11 further Covid deaths recorded to bring the total in Wales to 6,074.

There were also 3,296 new positive cases recorded in today’s update, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 415,829. The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales based on the cases for every 100,000 people (seven days up to October 17) now stands at 681.9 – the highest rate ever and a sharp rise from the 651.9 reported on Thursday.

The areas recording the highest numbers of Covid cases in the latest 24-hour period were Swansea with 297, Cardiff with 260, Caerphilly with 252, RCT with 244,

Torfaen with 193 and Neath Port Talbot with 192. Carmarthenshire had 179 and Powys had 113. Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to October 17: ■■Blaenau Gwent: 1,185.2 (up from 1,046.3) ■■Torfaen: 1000.4 (up from 940.8) ■■Caerphilly: 961.5 (up from 874.2) ■■Neath Port Talbot: 929.4 (up from 851.3) ■■Vale of Glamorgan: 863.1 (up from 824.2) ■■Cardiff: 826.9 (up from 800.8) ■■Newport: 797.8 (up from 724.4) ■■Pembrokeshire: 779.7 (up from 759) ■■Monmouthshire: 744.3 (up from 694.6) ■■Merthyr Tydfil: 689.6 (up from 641.5) ■■Rhondda Cynon Taf: 683.9 (up from 656.1) ■■Denbighshire: 628 (up from 611.3) ■■Powys: 613.1 (up from 593.5) ■■Carmarthenshire: 606 (unchanged) ■■Swansea: 557.5 (up from 549) ■■Anglesey: 508.7 (down from 524) ■■Bridgend: 508 (up from 492.4) ■■Gwynedd: 451.2 (up from 447.2) ■■Conwy: 392.5 (down from 395) ■■Wrexham: 385.4 (up from 384.7) ■■Ceredigion: 371.4 (up from 353.5) ■■Flintshire: 365.2 (down from 370.9) ■■All-wales verage: 681.9 (up from 651.9)