Last snapshot of Covid-19 in Wales as testing ends and daily data useless
FOR two years the Western Mail has brought you the latest Covid data throughout the pandemic.
Every day we set out how many new cases and deaths there were, and we would regularly assess the areas of Wales with the highest infection rate, as well as the local authorities where it was growing fastest.
It was crucial to the public’s understanding of how the virus was developing and changing across Wales. But this has now ended.
The Welsh Government recently announced huge changes to testing in Wales. This will have massive and far-reaching consequences throughout the country.
One of the key elements is that the daily data will be largely useless now for understanding how the virus is developing.
Comparisons with previous waves will be impossible and the surveillance for new variants will be significantly reduced.
As such this will likely be the last proper snapshot we have (unless there is a major policy change) before the Welsh Government turns off the light.
There are nine areas of Wales with a Covid infection rate above 600 currently.
There is one place with virtually no Covid – Llandovery, Cil-y-cwm & Cynwyl Gaeo in Carmarthenshire.
The data is the numbers for areas with an average of 7,000 residents, called middle super output areas (MSOA). In practice, this means there are statistics for areas like Canton in Cardiff, Morriston in Swansea, and Porth in Rhondda.
The data shows there are 12 places in Wales with more than 700 cases per 100,000 of the population.
The areas with the most cases at the moment are as follows for the last rolling seven days up to March 31:
■ Taff’s Well & Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Taf – 715.7
■ Llantarnam & Oakfield, Torfaen – 643
■ Newtown South, Powys – 637.5
■ Ridgeway & Glasllwch, Newport – 629
■ Bangor South, Gwynedd – 624.2
■ Tredegar & Georgetown, Blaenau Gwent – 622.5
■ Fairwater & Greenmeadow, Torfaen – 618.2
■ Pontnewydd & Upper Cwmbran, Torfaen – 615.1
Of the 22 local authorities in Wales, only two have seen an increase in the virus in the last week.
Part of this may be because the rates have stopped climbing, however, given that positivity is still very high, it is likely also that the announced changes in the guidance are still having an impact on behaviour.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales, based on the cases for every 100,000 people (for the seven days up to March 31) now stands at 311.7 – a fall from 451.5 just the week before.
Yesterday’s figures from Public Health Wales, covering a 72-hour period, show that seven more people have died with coronavirus and 1,834 new positive PCR test results have been recorded.
It brings the total number of Covid cases diagnosed in Wales via PCR tests since the pandemic began to 866,863.
The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,186.
March 30 was the last day people could book themselves a PCR test, with all sites beginning to shut down from March 31.
In the seven days to March 31, a total of 39.2% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result – a fall on the 39.3% reported on Monday.
The highest positivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (51.6%), Torfaen (47.6%), and Rhondda Cynon Taf (44%).
The highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 31 was Blaenau Gwent, with 492.4 cases per 100,000 population, followed by Torfaen with 457.6 and Merthyr Tydfil with 381.3.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 72-hour period with 233, followed by Rhondda Cynon Taf with 128, Newport with 119, Caerphilly with 101, Torfaen with 89, Carmarthenshire with 87, Pembrokeshire with 81, Swansea with 79, Conwy with 78, Bridgend with 77 and Gwynedd with 76.
Meanwhile, Flintshire had 72 new cases, Vale of Glamorgan, Ceredigion and Neath Port Talbot all had 65, Monmouthshire 63, Wrexham 59, Denbighshire 55 and Powys 54.
The local authorities with the lowest case numbers were Blaenau Gwent with 40, Anglesey with 38, and Merthyr Tydfil with 29.
As of April 4, there were 20 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19 – four more than on April 1. Seven of them were based in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB), four were in Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, three were in Hywel Dda UHB, two were in Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB, two were in Swansea Bay UHB and two were in Aneurin Bevan UHB.
Figures showing the number of people in hospital being specifically treated for Covid rather than testing positive for the virus but being in hospital for other reasons show that, as of April 4, there were 671 patients in acute hospitals with confirmed Covid of whom 93 (14%) were being treated for the condition. That figure has remained relatively static in the last week.
A total of 2,532,759 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,402,290 have been given two doses. Meanwhile, 1,942,627 people have been given their booster jabs in Wales.