Fifteen more deaths in Wales as infection rates push through the 400 barrier

FIFTEEN more people have died with coronavirus, according to the latest figures from Public Health Wales. New data published on Wednesday and covering a 24-hour period also show 1,877 new positive PCR test results to bring the total to 847,055.

The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,090. The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 18 is 416.1 cases for every 100,000 people, a rise from the 403 cases recorded on Tuesday. That was the first time the infection rate had gone above 400 since early February.

The infection rate based on PCR tests is only a guide to the spread of Covid in Wales as it does not include lateral flow test results which are reported weekly in Wales.

People with no symptoms who test positive on an LFT no longer need a confirmatory PCR test.

The latest data on lateral flow tests, for the week to March 13, also show an increase in positive tests. There were 21,212 positive test results reported in the last seven days, up substantially from 12,288 the previous week.

Infection rates in every area of Wales have risen, with the highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 18 in Blaenau Gwent with 657 cases per 100,000 population, followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 498.6 and Wrexham with 464.1.

Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 245, followed by RCT with 141, Vale of Glamorgan with 108, Wrexham with 106, and Flintshire with 104.

Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire had 93 new cases each, Pembrokeshire had 91, Gwynedd had 82, Blaenau Gwent 80,

Newport 77, Swansea 72, Denbighshire 70, Anglesey 63, Torfaen and Bridgend both 57, Neath Port Talbot 55, Ceredigion 54 and Powys 53.

In the seven days to March 18 37.5% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result, a rise on the 37.1% reported on Tuesday.

The highest positivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (44%), Rhondda Cynon Taf (40.6%) and Vale of Glamorgan (40.1%).