ALERT LEVEL LOWERED

ANOTHER 21 people have died with coronavirus in Wales and more than 300 new positive cases have been identified.

Figures from Public Health Wales published yesterday revealed that 312 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the latest 24-hour period, a rise from 236 the previous day. This brings the total since the start of the pandemic to 202,872.

The number of people who have died with coronavirus in Wales within a month of a positive test now stands at 5,284.

The infection rate across Wales is now 75.4 cases per 100,000 population based on the seven days up to February 20, a slight drop on 75.7 cases reported on Wednesday. Infection rates have reduced to levels not seen since September but are now falling much more slowly than they were in January.

The latest data also shows that 889,270 people have now received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, up 10,764 from the figure of 878,506 published 24 hours earlier. On Wednesday Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced that all adults in Wales will be offered a Covid-19 vaccine by July 31.

Meanwhile, 69,851 people have now received both doses of the vaccine, a rise from 59,279 on Wednesday.

The number of tests carried out was reported yesterday as 10,887 – up from 5,782 the previous day.

In terms of new cases reported in the last 24 hours Cardiff has the most with 40, followed by Newport and RCT with 23, Neath Port Talbot with 22, Wrexham with 21 and Swansea with 20.

Meanwhile, Flintshire and Gywnedd had 18 new cases, Powys had 15, Bridgend had 14, Conwy had 13 and Monmouthshire had 12.

All others had single figures for new cases including Caerphilly and Carmarthenshire with nine, Denbighshire with eight, Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil and Vale of Glamorgan with seven, Blaenau Gwent and Pembrokeshire with four, Torfaen with three and Ceredigion with one.

Across Wales the positivity rate of tests is down to 6.8% for the past seven-day period, which is below a key Welsh Government threshold for easing lockdown restrictions. The highest rate is in Cardiff, where 9.7% of tests have come back positive in the last week.

Cases per 100,000 based on sevenday rolling average (February 14 to February 20):

■ Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

■ Newport: 86 (down from 93.1)

■ Torfaen: 76.6 (up from 67)

■ Caerphilly: 91.1 (up from 87.8)

■ Monmouthshire: from 57.1)

■ Blaenau Gwent: 50.1 (up from 48.7)

■ Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

■ Wrexham: 69.9 (down from 63.4 (up 75.8)

■ Flintshire: 97.4 (down from 103.1)

■ Denbighshire: (unchanged)

■ Gwynedd: 80.3 (down from 82.7)

■ Conwy: 93.9 (up from 92.1)

■ Anglesey: 101.4 (down from 102.8)

■ Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

■ Vale of Glamorgan: (down from 70.4) 86.7 62.9

■ Cardiff: 103.8 (up from 102.5)

■ Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

■ Bridgend: 47.6 (down from 50.3)

■ Merthyr Tydfil: 69.6 (up from 61.3)

■ Rhondda Cynon Taf: 60.9 (up from 58)

■ Hywel Dda

Health Board

■ Carmarthenshire: from 71.5)

■ Ceredigion: 28.9 (up from

University 72 (up 27.5)

■ Pembrokeshire: from 44.5)

■ Powys

Board

■ Powys:

87.6)

■ Swansea Bay Health Board

■ Neath Port

(down from 63.5)

■ Swansea: 53.4 (unchanged)

■ Wales total: 75.4 (down from 75.7) 46.9

Teaching

Health 86.1 (down from

University

Talbot: (up 59.3