Covid infections are falling rapidly in Wales, England and Northern Ireland, the latest figures from the ONS show, but have started to rise again in Scotland. It is the sixth week in succession that Covid cases have fallen in Wales.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were an estimated 1.1 million people in private households with the virus across the UK in the week to May 21, down from 1.3 million in the previous week. In Wales, around 52,900 people were likely to have Covid 19 - down from 80,700, or one in 40, the week before
That is the lowest estimate since the end of November 2021 when virus levels were starting to rise due to the spread of the original Omicron variant. Total infection have now fallen by 78% since the peak of the BA.2 wave in late March when a record 4.9 million people were estimated to have Covid-19.
In Wales, the rate of positive cases appears to be highest in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan, while the region covering Swansea and Neath and Port Talbot has lower positivity rates.
Case rates appear to be falling in all age groups but are highest in the 25 to 34 age group and lowest in primary school children.
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But in Scotland, prevalence of the virus has increased, with 135,400 people estimated to have Covid-19 last week, or one in 40 - up from 122,200, or one in 45, a trend the ONS describes as "uncertain". The virus continues to be least prevalent in Northern Ireland, where infections are now at their lowest level since mid-October 2021. Some 23,300 people were estimated to have Covid-19 there last week, or one in 80, down from 29,800, or one in 60.
Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: "Overall infections continue in the right direction across much of the UK, falling to below a million people infected in England for the first time since early December. While Scotland and some regions of England saw an uncertain trend in the most recent week, it is too early to say if these uncertain trends mark the end of recent declines, and we will continue to carefully monitor the data."
Meanwhile Covid hospital admissions in Wales have also continued to drop. On May 26, there were 163 Covid-positive patients in acute hospitals in Wales, but only 25 (15%) were being activity treated for the virus. This is down from 207 Covid-positive patients in acute hospitals in Wales on May 19.
And just nine patients were in invasive ventilated beds with Covid - the most intensive form of treatment - on May 26, five of whom were in Cardiff and Vale UHB, two were in Swansea Bay UHB, one was in Hywel Dda UHB and one was in Betsi Cadwaladr UHB. This was down on the 12 recorded a week earlier.
During the Welsh Government's press conference, First Minister Mark Drakeford urged people to keep taking steps to protect their health as the country moves beyond the emergency response to the pandemic. The legal requirement to wear a face covering in health and care settings will end on Monday May 30, the Welsh Government confirmed.
He repeated the warning the four UK chief medical officers issued this week about the risk of new variants. Mr Drakeford said: "The pandemic has had a profound impact on all our lives, everyone has made sacrifices and changes over the last two years. But it is thanks to all your efforts that we can move beyond the emergency response while still living safely with this virus.
"I want to thank everyone for all you have done to protect yourselves and your loved ones. You have followed the rules and you have kept Wales safe. This three-week review of the coronavirus regulations is a significant milestone, we are completing our careful and gradual transition away from legal protections and away from the emergency response to the pandemic."
But he added ministers would "remain alert to the threat of new and emerging variants". He said that despite the legal requirement on health and care settings being lifted he would "continue to strongly recommend it to protect vulnerable people and staff working there".
"Continuing to take simple steps, including staying up to date with vaccinations, self-isolating if you have Covid-19 symptoms and maintaining good hand hygiene, will be important in helping us all to enjoy a safer and brighter future together," he said.
Mr Drakeford added the end of the regulations would also mean an end to the three-week reviews and to the public press conferences. He said: "All these measures are on hold in case we see another pandemic wave later in the autumn or winter, as we saw last year and the year before."
