Eight more people have died with coronavirus, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales.
New data published on Friday, March 18, and covering a 24-hour period, shows 1,935 new positive PCR test results to bring the total to 837,705. The total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,066.
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 13 is 304.5 cases for every 100,000 people – a rise from the 290.7 cases recorded on Thursday. This is the first time the infection rate has gone above 300 since the week beginning February 6.
Read more: The situation with 'Deltacron' in Wales and how much of a concern it is
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, for the week to March 13, also show an increase in positive tests. There were 21,212 positive test results reported in the last seven days. That's up substantially from 12,288 the previous week.
The headlines from the latest ONS infection survey published on March 18 suggest the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in Wales increased during the week ending March 12. In that week, it was estimated 125,400 people in Wales, equivalent to one in 25, had Covid. This was up on the 97,900 people reported the week before. In England the figure was one in 20, in Scotland it was one in 14, and Northern Ireland one in 14.
The ONS said it survey showed the Omicron BA.2 variant is now the most common in all countries of the UK. It also said that cases in the over 70s are now higher than they have been at any other point in the pandemic.
The area of Wales with the highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 13 was Blaenau Gwent with 432.3 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 384 and Gwynedd with 370.1.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 244 followed by RCT with 156, Carmarthenshire with 139, Swansea with 127, Caerphilly with 117, Vale of Glamorgan with 114 and Newport with 103.
Meanwhile Pembrokeshire had 80 new cases, Wrexham had 78, Gwynedd had 76, Bridgend and Torfaen both had 74, Flintshire had 70, Monmouthshire had 65, Blaenau Gwent, Powys and Conwy all had 63, and Neath Port Talbot had 62.
The areas with the lowest new cases reported were Denbighshire with 50, Ceredigion with 28, Merthyr Tydfil with 21 and Anglesey with 19.
In the seven days to March 13 a total of 32.6% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result – a rise on the 31.9% reported on Thursday. The highest positivity rates were in Gwynedd (38%), Blaenau Gwent (37.8%), and Vale of Glamorgan (37.1%).
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As of March 17 there were 12 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19. Seven of them were based in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB), three were in Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, one was in Hywel Dda UHB and one Swansea Bay UHB. The fall in ICU numbers seen at the start of the year has stopped and fluctuated at around the same level for the last month.
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 17 there were 645 patients in acute hospitals with Covid of whom 99 were being treated for the condition.
A total of 2,524,362 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,395,167 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,927,654 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 13:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 432.3 (up from 409.4)
Newport: 306.4 (up from 284.5)
Caerphilly: 263.4 (up from 259.6)
Torfaen: 287.4 (up from 265)
Monmouthshire: 293.9 (up from 269.6)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 251.7 (up from 235.5)
Anglesey: 258.4 (up from 242.7)
Gwynedd: 370.1 (up from 362.9)
Denbighshire: 317.7 (up from 296.8)
Flintshire: 332.5 (up from 318.4)
Wrexham: 330.3 (up from 300.8)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 321.1 (up from 305.5)
Vale of Glamorgan: 384 (up from 367.6)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 202.2 (down from 208.9)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 353.1 (up from 330.3)
Bridgend: 233.3 (unchanged)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 326.9 (up from 321.6)
Pembrokeshire: 321.9 (up from 316.3)
Ceredigion: 345.3 (up from 321.9)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 259 (up from 243.9)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 238.6 (down from 239.3)
Swansea: 228.8 (up from 216.6)
Wales total: 304.5 (up from 290.7)
Speaking about the rise in infections in the latest ONS infection survey, Sarah Crofts, Head of Analytical Outputs for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said: “These latest figures show further increases in infections across most of the UK with high levels of infection everywhere, and in Scotland the highest our survey has seen.
“These increases are largely driven by the marked rise of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant. It’s notable also that infections have risen in all age groups, with the over 70s reaching their highest estimate since our survey began."
The percentage of LFT tests that produced positive results has increased in the last week from 10.88% to 17.38%. The highest LFT incidence rate was in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area with 815.5 positive tests for every 100,000 people – way up on the 467.5 in the previous week. The 20-39 age group recorded the highest incidence rate of 828.4 positive testing episodes per 100,000 population.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has 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 time being but legal requirements could go following a review on March 24 if the public health situation remains stable.
If it does it means that on March 28 it will no longer be compulsory to wear face coverings in shops, on public transport, or in healthcare settings from that date and self-isolation will not be required by law. However plans for similar measures in Scotland to take effect from March 21 have now been pushed back due to a rise in Covid cases.
