Covid cases in Wales fall for the fifth week in a row
THE number of Covid-19 cases in Wales has fallen for the fifth week in a row, latest data shows.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show there were an estimated 1.2 million people in private households with the virus in the week to May 13, down from 1.5 million the previous week and the lowest since the start of December.
In Wales, 80,700 people are estimated to have coronavirus, or one in 40 (2.66%), down from 88,300, or one in 35 (2.91%).
In England, infections have fallen for the sixth week running according to the ONS, with 1 million people likely to test positive for Covid-19, the equivalent of about one in 55 people. This is down from 1.2 million, or one in 45, and is the lowest estimate since the start of December.
In Scotland, Covid-19 infections are now at their lowest since the week ending December 23, with about one in 45 infected. This is down from one in 35 in the previous week. The virus is least prevalent in Northern Ireland, where infections have dropped to their lowest level since early November. One in 60 were infected there, down from one in 55.
Elsewhere, Covid hospital admissions in Wales have also continued to drop. On May 19, there were 207 Covid-positive patients in acute hospitals in Wales, but only 34 (16%) were being activity treated for the virus. This is down from 318 Covid-positive patients in acute hospitals in Wales on May 12.
And 12 patients were in invasive ventilated beds with Covid – the most intensive form of treatment – on May 19, six of which were in Cardiff and Vale UHB, three in Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB, two in Hywel Dda UHB and one in Swansea Bay UHB. There are about 14 times more non-Covid patients in critical care than patients who have the virus. This is down from 13 the previous week.
The latest ONS data showed 45 people died in Wales from Covid-19 in the week ending May 6, the most recent week for which data is available. This equates to just 7.6% of all deaths in Wales for that week.
Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “Today’s figures continue to show a welcome decline in infections across the UK, reaching their lowest point in England since the start of December last year.
“While younger age groups continue to be the lowest infected, there are early signs of the decrease slowing for under 35s. We will continue to monitor these patterns over the coming weeks since it is too early to say if this is part of a longer trend.”
Meanwhile, two types of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have been newly classified as variants of concern in the UK.
Only a small number of cases of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 have been identified so far, but analysis of the available data suggests they are likely to have a “growth advantage” over Omicron BA.2, currently the dominant variant, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
As of May 20, 115 cases of probable or confirmed BA.4 had been identified, with 67 in England, 41 in Scotland, six in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
Some 80 cases of BA.5 have been identified, with 48 in England, 25 in Scotland, six in Northern Ireland and one in Wales.