Ten more deaths as infection rate falls

TEN more people have died with coronavirus, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales.

New data published yesterday and covering a 24-hour period, also shows 1,438 new positive PCR test results to bring the total since the pandemic began to 863,544.

The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,172.

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 fallen.

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.

The latest data on lateral flow tests, for the week to March 27, shows an increase in positive tests. There were 32,465 positive test results reported in the last seven days. That’s up from 30,712 the previous week and the highest weekly figure ever recorded. The episode positivity rate increased from 22.83% in the previous week to 24.37% in the latest reporting week. Powys Teaching Health

Board recorded the highest incidence rate of 1,135.1 positive testing episodes per 100,000 population.

In the seven days to March 27 a total of 39.2% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result - a fall on the 39.3% reported on Thursday. The highest positivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (45.8%), Torfaen (43.1%), and Cardiff (41.9%). The highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 26 was Blaenau Gwent with 701.4 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 526.2 and Merthyr Tydfil with 523.8.

Rhondda Cynon Taf recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 120 followed by Cardiff with 118, Caerphilly with 110, Flintshire with 86, Newport with 77, Swansea with 74, Carmarthenshire with 67, Bridgend with 61, and Conwy with 60.

Meanwhile, Pembrokeshire had 59 new cases, Gwynedd had had 58, Vale of Glamorgan had 57, Blaenau Gwent had 56, Wrexham had 55, Torfaen had 51, Denbighshire had 48, Neath Port Talbot had 44, and Monmouthshire had 42. The local authorities with the lowest case numbers were Powys with 36, Ceredigion with 35, Anglesey with 29, and Merthyr Tydfil with 28.