RECORD VIRUS RATES

ONS data reveals almost 7% had Covid in one week

CORONAVIRUS infection rates have now reached their highest levels on record in Wales, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

Its latest weekly bulletin shows that an estimated 212,000 people had the virus in Wales in the week ending March 26.

That equates to 6.97% of the population or around one in 14 people.

This tops the previous record of 6.35%, which was recorded the week before, and the January 2022 peak of 5.56% when the Omicron variant first swept the nation.

However, infection rates are thought to be even higher in some other parts of the UK.

In England the ONS estimates that 4,122,700 people had Covid-19 in the week ending March 26, which equates to 7.56% of the population or around one in 13 people.

In Scotland as many as one in 12 people are thought to have the virus over the same period while in Northern Ireland it’s one in 15.

The ONS said the Omicron BA.2 variant was driving the rise in infections in Wales and England but the overall trend was uncertain in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The data excludes those in hospitals, care homes and other communal establishments and only includes those testing positive on PCR tests.

Despite the rise in infection rates the Welsh Government decided to continue lifting Covid restrictions.

The public are no longer legally required to wear masks in shops or on public transport though they remain required for healthcare settings and care homes. It is also no longer mandatory to self-isolate when testing positive for Covid.

There have also been major changes to Covid testing in Wales in the past week.

People can no longer book a PCR test if they have symptoms, PCR testing sites have been shutting down, and free lateral flow tests are now only available to the public if you have symptoms.

Public Health Wales (PHW) has reminded people that although the legal requirement to self-isolate when testing positive has changed, the medical advice to do so has not.

Dr Meng Khaw, national director of health protection and screening services at PHW, said: “While we are currently seeing a high level of cases of coronavirus in Wales this is not translating into a rise in numbers of people needing ICU treatment – largely because of the high number of people who have been vaccinated.

“However, coronavirus is still an unpleasant, highly infectious illness and even though the legal requirement to self-isolate when testing positive has now lifted I would remind everyone that the medical advice is still to isolate for at least five full days.

“In addition, wearing masks in crowded indoor areas, washing hands regularly, and ensuring adequate ventilation will help to prevent the transmission of the virus and protect more vulnerable people.

“Coronavirus has not gone away and it is clear that the single best thing you can do to protect yourself and the people around you is to get vaccinated. If you develop a cough, fever, or change in sense of taste or smell the public health advice remains that you should self-isolate immediately in order to protect others and get a coronavirus test.”

PHW’s own data show that while infection rates have been rising, in the past two days they have fallen slightly.

The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 27 is 443.6 cases for every 100,000 people – a fall from the 451.7 cases recorded on Thursday.

It’s the second day in a row that the infection rate has dropped.