Most virus cases in one day since April – but no deaths
MORE than 280 new labconfirmed positive cases of coronavirus have been found in Wales.
Latest figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show that there were 281 new cases of Covid-19 recorded yesterday, but, significantly, zero deaths.
That is the highest number of cases recorded in a single day since April 20, close to the peak of the pandemic when 281 were also recorded. However, significantly more tests are now being carried out, with 9,850 test results reported today compared to 898 on April 20.
Two local authorities in Wales are now reporting more then 100 cases per 100,000 population over the past seven days – Rhondda Cynon Taf (102.4) and Merthyr Tydfil (112.7).
Bridgend and Newport also have high numbers of positive cases per head at 65.3 and 68.7 respectively. The Wales average now stands at 32.1, which is up from 29.2 the day before.
PHW also added that the council areas of Cardiff, Swansea, the Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire are now “areas of concern”.
Total deaths with labconfirmed coronavirus in Wales now stand at 1,603.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) had by far the highest number of new cases yesterday with 77, followed by Bridgend with 34, Cardiff with 30, Swansea with 28 and Merthyr Tydfil with 20.
Blaenau Gwent and Carmarthenshire had 16, Caerphilly had 11, Newport had nine and Vale of Glamorgan had eight. Conwy had five, Denbighshire had four, Monmouthshire, Torfaen, Flintshire and Neath Port Talbot had three, while Anglesey, Gwynedd, Wrexham, Ceredigion, Pemborkeshire and Powys had one.
Dr Giri Shankar, incident director for the novel coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We are continuing to see a steady increase in cases in many communities across Wales, and our investigations show that many of these have been transmitted due to a lack of social distancing.
“The council areas of Cardiff, Swansea, the Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire are all areas of concern to us and we are watching the data from there carefully, but numbers of cases are increasing in all parts of Wales so there is no room for complacency in any area.”