69 FURTHER DEATHS HIGHEST IN ONE DAY
PUBLIC Health Wales (PHW) reported a further 69 deaths of people with Covid-19 yesterday, the highest number of deaths reported in a single 24-hour period since the start of the pandemic in March.
It is double the number reported the day before, meaning 3,115 people have now died in Wales since March with lab-confirmed coronavirus – around 0.1% of Wales’ population.
Nearly half of the deaths recorded (34) were in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, 19 were in the Aneurin Bevan, six were in Swansea Bay and five were in Cardiff and Vale.
There were also 2,334 new positive Covid cases reported yesterday, the first day of the new Level 4 restrictions.
It brings the overall total of confirmed cases in Wales since the pandemic began to 122,766.
The infection rate now stands at 613.3 cases per 100,000 people based on the seven days up to December 15, significantly higher than the 400 marker which determined that Wales should move into Level 4.
This figures are based on the date tests were done, not the date test results were included on the system, meaning it is an accurate reflection of the extent to which the virus is spreading rapidly in Wales.
The percentage of tests being done that produce positive results is also 22.5% in Wales – meaning more than a fifth of people getting tested have the virus.
Merthyr Tydfil remains the local authority with the highest infection rate in Wales – and the UK – with a seven-day rate of 1,225.0 cases per 100,000 population. Bridgend has the secondhighest rate with 1,118. Blaenau Gwent is third with 981.9.
The three areas with the highest percentage of tests coming back positive are Neath Port Talbot with 30.1%, Bridgend with 29.9%, and Merthyr Tydfil with 27.2% in the week to December 15.
Neath Port Talbot had the highest number of new cases yesterday with 255, followed by Bridgend with 254, Cardiff with 253, Swansea with 248 and Rhondda Cynon Taf with 224.
Other local authorities reporting very high numbers of positive cases include Carmarthenshire with 173, Newport and Caerphilly with 132 apiece, the Vale of Glamorgan which had 90, Merthyr Tydfil with 79, Blaenau Gwent with 73, Monmouthshire with 68, Torfaen with 64, Wrexham with 49 and Flintshire with 41.
Meanwhile, Pembrokeshire had 34 new cases, Powys had 32, Denbighshire had 21, Ceredigion had 18 and Gwynedd had 14.
Only two authorities reported new cases in single figures, with Conwy having eight cases and Anglesey having three.
Cases per 100,000 for rolling seven days (December 9-15)
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Newport .................................................................. 878.0 (Up from 858.6) Caerphilly ................................................................ 856.0 (Up from 835.6) Blaenau Gwent ..................................................... 981.9 (Up from 929.0) Torfaen ..................................................................... 830.1 (Up from 788.6) Monmouthshire ................................................... 471.5 (Up from 438.7) Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Wrexham................................................................. 421.5 (Up from 392.0) Flintshire............................................................ 241.5 (Down from 246.6) Denbighshire......................................................... 158.8 (Up from 157.8) Conwy ........................................................................... 85.3 (Up from 81.9) Gwynedd ........................................................................ 82.7 (Unchanged) Anglesey.......................................................................... 40.0 (Unchanged) Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Cardiff ....................................................................... 652.5 (Up from 637.2) Vale of Glamorgan .............................................. 569.7 (Up from 530.0) Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board Merthyr Tydfil ...........................................1,225.0 (Down from 1,233.3) Bridgend .......................................................1,1,118.0 (Up from 1,028.2) Rhondda Cynon Taf ............................................ 858.8 (Up from 842.2) Hywel Dda University Health Board Carmarthenshire .................................................. 721.5 (Up from 690.3) Ceredigion .............................................................. 218.7 (Up from 207.7) Pembrokeshire ............................................... 259.9 (Down from 264.7) Powys Teaching Health Board Powys ....................................................................... 219.7 (Up from 218.2) Swansea Bay University Health Board Neath Port Talbot................................................. 953.8 (Up from 877.1) Swansea .................................................................. 776.9 (Up from 770.9)
WALES TOTAL .....................................613.3 (UP FROM 592.3)