Wales has by far the lowest Covid case rate of any nation in the UK, latest figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey for the week ending August 28 shows that the estimated number of people testing positive for Covid was 31,500, equating to 1.04% of the population or around one in 95 people.
That is a fall on the 47,300 (1.56%%), or around one in 65 people, recorded in Wales for the week ending August 23. The rate of positive cases appears to be highest in the region covering Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, although differences between the regions are described as "small". The region covering Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil has lower rates of positivity.
Across the UK Covid-19 infections have dropped to their lowest level for nearly 11 months, but not all parts of the country are showing a clear downward trend. The ONS said total of 944,700 people in private households are estimated to have had coronavirus in the week to August 28. This is the first time the figure has fallen below a million since the beginning of June. It is also the lowest UK-wide total since the week to October 2, 2021, when the number stood at 942,600.
Read more: Mum told 'go to A&E in England' due to three-year wait for surgery in Wales
UK infections hit 3.8 million in early July this year during the spread of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the virus, but have been on a broadly downward path in recent weeks.
In England, the percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus in the week to August 28 was 770,800, or around one in 70 - down from 893,300, or one in 60, in the seven days to August 23. In Scotland, 104,400 people were likely to have tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest week, the equivalent of about one in 50. This compares with 96,000, or one in 55, in the previous survey. And in Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is 38,000, or one in 50 people, compared with 35,800, which was also one in 50.
The ONS figures were originally scheduled for September 9 but were postponed due to the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Meanwhile the number of people in hospital with Covid is also decreasing in Wales. On September 6, of the 244 in acute hospitals with Covid, just 14 (6%) were people being activity treated for for the virus. Nine coronavirus patients in Wales were in invasive ventilated beds in intensive care on September 6 – five of whom were in Cardiff and Vale UHB, three were in Hywel Dda UHB, and one was in Swansea Bay UHB.
Eligible adults in Wales are being invited for an autumn Covid booster vaccine. The rollout began at the start of September to improve the immunity of those at higher risk from the virus. A single dose of the vaccine is being offered to:
- Residents in care homes for older adults
- Staff in care homes for older adults
- Frontline health and social care workers
- All adults aged 50 years and over
- People aged five to 49 years in a clinical risk group
- People aged five to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- People aged 16-49 who are carers.
In line with advice from the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation eligible adults aged 18 and above will initially be offered the Moderna vaccine which protects from both the original Covid virus and the Omicron variant. Those eligible aged under 18 will be offered the Pfizer vaccine. Both vaccines will be offered at least three months after a previous dose. Adults will mostly be invited via letter to attend a vaccination centre, GP, or pharmacy for their jab.
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