Wales now has more Covid cases per head than England as infection rates continue to rise. The latest infection survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that an estimated 149,700 people - around one in 20 (4.93%) - in Wales had the virus between June 24 and June 30.
That is an increase on the one in 30 reported the week before and way up on the one in 75 the week ending June 2. In England one in 25 were estimated to have the virus in the latest reporting week, in Northern Ireland it was one in 19 and one in 17 in Scotland. The ONS said the increase in cases is likely caused by the more transmittable BA.4 and BA.5 strains of Omicron.
In the UK as a whole, 2.7 million people in private households were estimated to have had Covid-19 last week, up 18% from 2.3 million the previous week. That is the highest estimate since late April but is still below the record high of 4.9 million which was reached at the end of March.
Read more: Visiting suspended at Swansea and Neath Port Talbot hospitals as Covid cases surge
Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: "We continue to see infections increase across all UK countries, English regions and age groups. These increases are due to rises in infections with the Omicron sub variants BA.4 and BA.5 which have been dominant since mid-June.
"Scotland continues to have the highest infection rate, although it has recently increased at a slower rate compared to other UK countries. We will continue to monitor the data to see if this recent rise is starting to slow in Scotland."
In Wales the rate of positive cases appears to be highest in the region covering the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. The region covering Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Monmouthshire and Newport has lower positivity rates, although differences between regions are described by the Welsh Government as "small". It is the fifth week in a row that infection rates have risen.
Meanwhile hospital admissions for Covid have also risen sharply in Wales since May. On July 7, 965 patients were in hospital beds testing positive for the virus, whereas in May this was around 400. It is predicted that this will peak at around 1,200-1,300 in the coming weeks, which are similar levels to January.
When it comes to acute hospitals, of the 579 confirmed cases of Covid only 74 (13%) were being actively treated for the virus. The percentage has remained relatively static for the past month. Cardiff and Vale UHB has the highest percentage of people being activity treated for Covid (27%), followed by Swansea Bay UHB (17%).
On July 7, 19 Covid patients were needing an invasive ventilated bed in intensive care. Cardiff and Vale UHB had the most with six, followed by Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with five, and Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with four.
Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and Social Services, said in a statement to Senedd Members on Friday afternoon: "Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a steady rise in the number of coronavirus infections in Wales. We are in the midst of a new wave of infections, caused by the BA.4 and BA.5 subtypes of the Omicron variant. These are fast-moving, highly infectious forms of the virus which are causing a surge in infections across the UK and in many other countries around the world.
"As we have seen in previous waves, the increase in cases in the community has led to an increase in the number of people being admitted to and treated in hospital for Covid-19. The latest available information shows there are now more than 960 Covid-19-related patients in Welsh hospitals and there has also been an increase in number of people with Covid-19 being treated in critical care."
One of the biggest concerns at present is the high sickness absence rate among health and social care staff in Wales. Currently more than 7% of NHS workers are not in work, with a third of them related to Covid. In the Welsh Ambulance Service that figure is at 11.6%. Meanwhile A&E attendances are well above the average for this time of year, which is putting huge pressure on the acute end of the system.
Ms Morgan added: "The NHS has been working incredibly hard to provide planned care for people across Wales and to reduce waiting times, which had built up over the course of the pandemic. This task becomes more difficult when pandemic pressures increase.
"Some hospitals have taken the difficult decision to restrict visiting to prevent coronavirus from spreading among patients and staff; others are asking all visitors to wear face coverings.
"We are not making face coverings mandatory in health and care settings, but I would encourage everyone to wear one if they are visiting a healthcare setting and I would also ask people to consider wearing a face covering in crowded indoor public places, while cases of coronavirus are currently high."
Wales has extended the availability of free lateral flow tests for people who have symptoms of coronavirus until the end of July.
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Visiting suspended at Swansea and Neath Port Talbot hospitals as Covid cases surge
