Eighteen more people have died with coronavirus for the second day in a row, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales. New data published on Thursday, March 31, and covering a 24-hour period, also shows 1,379 new positive PCR test results to bring the total since the pandemic began to 862,106.
The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,162. The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 26 is 451.7 cases for every 100,000 people – a fall from the 455.9 cases recorded on Wednesday. This is the first time the seven-day infection rate has fallen since February 22-28.
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.
Read more: The reasons why Covid infection rates are rising again in Wales
The latest data on lateral flow tests, for the week to March 27, shows an increase in positive tests. There were 32,465 positive test results reported in the last seven days. That's up from 30,712 the previous week and the highest weekly figure ever recorded.
In the seven days to March 26 a total of 39.3% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result – a rise on the 39.2% reported on Wednesday. The highest positivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (46.6%), Torfaen (42.9%), and Cardiff (41.9%). The highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 26 was Blaenau Gwent with 710 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 538.2 and Denbighshire with 527.7.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 233 followed by RCT with 92, Vale of Glamorgan with 84, Caerphilly with 73, Swansea with 69, Gwynedd with 66, Torfaen with 63, Newport and Conwy both with 59, Neath Port Talbot with 56, Blaenau Gwent with 54, and Pembrokeshire with 50. Meanwhile Carmathenshire had 48 new cases, Bridgend had 47, Powys had 46, Monmouthshire had 45, Flintshire had 38, Wrexham had 34, and Denbighshire had 33. The local authorities with the lowest numbers of new cases were Merthyr Tydfil with 32, Anglesey with 27, and Ceredigion with 26.
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As of March 30 there were 17 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19 – the same amount as the day before. Nine of them were based in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB), three were in Hywel Dda UHB, three were in Swansea Bay UHB, one was in Aneurin Bevan UHB, and one was in Betsi Cadwaladr UHB.
Figures are also being published showing the number of people in hospital being specifically treated for Covid rather than testing positive for the virus but being in hospital for other reasons. They show that as of March 30 there were 766 patients in acute hospitals with confirmed Covid of whom 105 (14%) were being treated for the condition. That figure has fallen in the last week.
A total of 2,529,747 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,400,096 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,920,776 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 March 26:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 710 (down from 727.1)
Newport: 480.4 (down from 491.3)
Caerphilly: 446.2 (up from 444.6)
Torfaen: 492.8 (down from 503.4)
Monmouthshire: 476.8 (down from 489.5)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 352.4 (up from 347.3)
Anglesey: 486.8 (up from 472.6)
Gwynedd: 417.5 (up from 416.7)
Denbighshire: 527.7 (unchanged)
Flintshire: 447.8 (down from 464.4)
Wrexham: 490.6 (down from 500.9)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 481.6 (down from 483.2)
Vale of Glamorgan: 538.2 (down from 541.2)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 508.9 (up from 490.7)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 469.6 (down from 474.2)
Bridgend: 380.8 (down from 382.2)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 434.4 (down from 438.1)
Pembrokeshire: 468.1 (down from 483.2)
Ceredigion: 389.9 (down from 409.9)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 416.8 (down from 422.8)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 337.7 (up from 332.1)
Swansea: 329.2 (down from 334)
Wales total: 45.7 (down from 455.9)
The Office for National Statistics infection survey, published on Friday, March 25, also shows cases are increasing rapidly. It estimates that 192,000 people in Wales – or around 1 in 16 – had Covid the week ending March 19. That is the same as in England while Scotland has the highest Covid rate with one in 11 people currently infected. One in 17 people in Northern Ireland are estimated to have it.
Since Monday, March 28, people no longer have to wear masks in shops or on public transport in Wales but they are still needed in hospitals and healthcare settings. The Welsh Government decided not to relax all restrictions on that date, as it had hoped to do, as cases continued to rise in Wales.
The legal requirement to self-isolate has also been scrapped and instead people are now asked to stay inside if they test positive but it is no longer the law that they must do so. Businesses must still complete risk assessments.
Meanwhile on Monday sweeping changes to testing were announced by the Welsh Government which include:
Wednesday, March 30, was the last day the public were able to book a PCR test if they have symptoms of the virus;
From Thursday, March 31, all PCR testing sites in Wales will close and free lateral flow tests to support regular asymptomatic testing in workplaces will end except for health and social care workers;
Free lateral flow tests for the public for regular asymptomatic testing will end on Thursday, March 31;
From Friday, April 1, if you have Covid symptoms you should use a lateral flow test to check whether you have Covid and from that date only people eligible for Covid-19 treatments will be able to order PCR tests to be done at home;
Routine asymptomatic testing in childcare and education settings, except special education provision, will stop on Friday, April 8.
To understand more about the consequences of this decision please go here.
