A further three people have died with coronavirus, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales
New data published on Friday, March 4, and covering a 24-hour period up to 9am on Thursday, March 3, also shows 1,177 new positive cases to bring the total to 818,146.
The number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test now stands at 7,015.
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to February 27 is now 159.6 cases for every 100,000 people – a small rise from the 158.7 cases recorded on Thursday.
However the infection rate based on PCR tests is only a guide to the spread of Covid in Wales as it does not include lateral flow test results, which are reported weekly in Wales. People with no symptoms who test positive on an LFT no longer need a confirmatory PCR test.
The latest data on lateral flow tests, published today for the week to February 27, show there have been a further 9,255 positive test results reported. That's down from 11,350 the previous week. Positivity also increased slightly from 8.23% to 8.49%. The highest incidence rate was in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area with 349.5 positive tests for every 100,000 people.
The area of Wales with the highest infection rate for the seven days up to February 27 was Vale of Glamorgan with 221.6 followed by Cardiff with 198.4 and Conwy with 189.4
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 139, followed by RCT with 89, Carmarthenshire with 88, Swansea with 75, the Vale of Glamorgan with 68, and Caerphilly with 58.
Meanwhile Gwynedd had 53 new cases, Wrexham had 51, Pembrokeshire had 50, Flintshire had 49, Bridgend had 47, Denbighshire had 46, Newport had 43, Neath Port Talbot had 42, and Conwy and Powys both had 39.
The areas with the lowest new cases reported were Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent both with 36, Torfaen with 31, Ceredigion with 20, Anglesey with 15, and Merthyr Tydfil with 12.
In the seven days to February 27 a total of 21.5% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result, a rise on the 21.3% reported on Thursday. The highest positivity rates were in Vale of Glamorgan (27.8%), Cardiff (26.3%), and Flintshire (24.1%).
As of March 3 there were 11 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19. This is well below the Omicron wave peak of 39 on January 5. Seven of the 11 patients are being treated in Cardiff and Vale UHB.
New figures are also being published showing the number of people being specifically treated for Covid rather than testing positive for the virus but being in hospital for other reasons. As of February 28 out of 363 patients in acute hospitals with Covid there were only 77 people actively being treated for Covid in Wales (24%).
A total of 2,521,301 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,387,565 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,908,451 people have been given their booster jabs in Wales.
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to February 27:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 183.2 (up from 181.8)
Newport: 139.6 (up from 133.8)
Caerphilly: 132.5 (up from 125.4)
Torfaen: 150.1 (down from 153.3)
Monmouthshire: 163.9 (down from 166)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 189.4 (unchanged)
Anglesey: 118.5 (unchanged)
Gwynedd: 117.2 (up from 115.6)
Denbighshire: 164.1 (up from 163)
Flintshire: 158.2 (down from 160.8)
Wrexham: 154.5 (up from 148.6)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 198.4 (unchanged)
Vale of Glamorgan: 221.6 (up from 205.1)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 106.1 (down from 114.4)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 124.3 (down from 125.2)
Bridgend: 123.1 (down from 131.2)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 187 (down from 198.1)
Pembrokeshire: 174.1 (up from 168.5)
Ceredigion: 183 (up from 177.5)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 123.8 (up from 117.8)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 159.1 (up from 152.1)
Swansea: 158.3 (down from 162.4)
Wales total: 159.6 (up from 158.7 )
The headlines from the latest ONS infection survey published on March 4 suggest the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in Wales decreased during the week ending February 26. It means cases in Wales have fallen for the third week in a row.
It estimated 94,200 people in Wales, equivalent to one in 30, had Covid in the week ending February 26. This was the same as England. However, Scotland has seen an increase with one in 19 having Covid in the last week for which data is available. Northern Ireland continues to have the highest rates of Covid in the UK, although rates are decreasing.
On Thursday evening First Minister Mark Drakeford announced that all legal Covid measures in Wales could be removed by March 28.
He said Wales will remain at alert level zero for the next three weeks but legal requirements could go following a review on March 24 if the public health situation remains stable.
It means on March 28 it will no longer be compulsory to wear face coverings in shops, on public transport, or in healthcare settings on that date and self-isolation will not be required by law.
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