RCT TOPS COVID DEATH TOLL
MOST DEATHS OF ANY WELSH LOCAL AUTHORITY
MORE than 8,000 people in Wales have now died with coronavirus since the pandemic began, it has been revealed.
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the overall total since March 2020 is 8,002 in Wales. These figures differ from those issued by Public Health Wales.
While there has been a sharp drop in the number of daily deaths in the third wave so far, people are still losing their lives with the virus on a daily basis.
The ONS registers a Covid death when the virus is suspected or confirmed and when doctors believe it has contributed to a death or is the underlying cause.
It differs from Public Health Wales (PHW) data, which only records a death within 28 days of testing positive for the virus. The latest death toll in Wales using PHW data released yesterday stood at 5,677.
According to the ONS, meanwhile, Rhondda Cynon Taf has reported the most deaths of any Welsh local authority with 898, followed by Cardiff with 894 and Swansea with 635.
The full list of reported Covid deaths by local authority up to September 1:
■ Rhondda Cynon Taf: 898;
■ Cardiff: 894;
■ Swansea: 635;
■ Bridgend: 510;
■ Carmarthenshire: 484;
■ Neath Port Talbot: 478;
■ Caerphilly: 478;
■ Flintshire: 398;
■ Newport: 396;
■ Wrexham: 393;
■ Vale of Glamorgan: 325;
■ Powys: 272;
■ Torfaen: 263;
■ Denbighshire: 223;
■ Blaenau Gwent: 220;
■ Monmouthshire: 218;
■ Merthyr Tydfil: 215;
■ Conwy: 197;
■ Pembrokeshire: 181;
■ Gwynedd: 140;
■ Anglesey: 93; and
■ Ceredigion: 91. When population size is taken into account, Rhondda Cynon Taf still has the highest mortality rate with 372 deaths per 100,000 people over the course of the pandemic.
This is seventh-highest among local authorities across Wales and England.
Dr Eleri Davies, an incident director at Public Health Wales, said: “As expected following the move to alert level zero, case rates in Wales have risen.
“While the vaccination programme has reduced the levels of hospitalisation and fatalities, the virus is still circulating in our communities.”
She added: “There are several measures that people can take in order to reduce the possibility of transmitting the virus. Firstly, please take up your offer of a vaccination when you receive it as this is the best way of preventing serious illness, hospitalisation and death.
“In addition, if you have symptoms of Covid then please get a PCR test (by calling 119 or going to https://gov.wales/get-tested-coronaviruscovid-19), and self-isolate until you get the results. You should not attend a festival or other mass-gathering event if you have symptoms.
“You should also consider carefully if it is sensible to attend mass events if a close contact has tested positive for
Covid, and ensure that you get a PCR test on days two and eight.
“Hand hygiene, face coverings and social distancing are still effective measures to prevent transmission of the virus.”
When looking across the entire pandemic to date, there have been 53,205 deaths from all causes in Wales, with 8,002 (15%) mentioning Covid-19 on the death certificate up to August 20.
The total figure was 5,290 deaths above the five-year average.