Coronavirus infection rates in Wales are continuing to rise again, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales.
New data published on Thursday, March 10, and covering a 24-hour period, shows 1,548 new positive PCR test results to bring the total to 824,485. Two more people have also died to bring the total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid to 7,041.
Read more: Covid cases are rising again in many parts of the UK
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 5 is now 194 cases for every 100,000 people – a rise from the 184.9 cases recorded on Wednesday. This has been rising steadily for the last week.
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 6, also show an increase in positive tests. There were 12,288 positive test results reported in the last seven days. That's up substantially from 9,255 the previous week.
LFT and PCR positivity is also increasing. The percentage of LFT tests that produced positive results increased from 8.49% to 10.88%. The highest LFT incidence rate was in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area with 467.5 positive tests for every 100,000 people - way up on the 349.5 in the previous week.
The area of Wales with the highest infection rate for the seven days up to March 5 was Blaenau Gwent with 290.6 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 277 and Carmarthenshire with 242.6.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 205, followed by RCT with 123, Carmarthenshire with 120, Flintshire with 98, Caerphilly and Wrexham both with 79 and Newport with 76.
Meanwhile Vale of Glamorgan had 73 new cases, Pembrokeshire had 67, Gwynedd had 66, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea with had 63, Powys had 50, Bridgend had 47, and Blaenau Gwent had 44.
The areas with the lowest new cases reported were Conwy with 43, Denbighshire with 41, Ceredigion with 38, Torfaen with 36, Anglesey with 32, Monmouthshire with 27, and Merthyr Tydfil with 21.
In the seven days to March 5 a total of 24% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result, a rise on the 23.3% reported on Wednesday. The highest positivity rates were in Vale of Glamorgan (29.3%), Blaenau Gwent (28.3%) and Cardiff (28%).
As of March 9 there were 11 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19. Eight of them were based in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, two were in Hywel Dda UHB and one was in Betsi Cadwaladr 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 being published showing the number of people being specifically treated for Covid rather than testing positive for the virus but being in hospital for other reasons also show that Covid rates in hospital are no longer falling. As of March 9, there were 399 patients in acute hospitals with Covid of whom 80 were being treated for the condition.
A total of 2,522,561 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,391,356 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,917,500 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 5:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 290.6 (up from 269.1)
Newport: 182.3 (up from 164.9)
Caerphilly: 175.6 (up from 163.5)
Torfaen: 152.2 (up from 147.9)
Monmouthshire: 215.7 (up from 194.5)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 176.6 (up from 173.2)
Anglesey: 118.5 (down from 119.9)
Gwynedd: 191.1 (unchanged)
Denbighshire: 195.4 (down from 196.5)
Flintshire: 198 (up from 189)
Wrexham: 189.8 (up from 175.8)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 212.9 (up from 205.2)
Vale of Glamorgan: 277 (up from 255.3)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 117.7 (up from 112.7)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 194 (up from 178.6)
Bridgend: 146.9 (up from 132.6)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 242.6 (unchanged)
Pembrokeshire: 205.1 (up from 198.7)
Ceredigion: 155.4 (up from 143.1)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 154.8 (up from 151.8)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 188.4 (up from 182.8)
Swansea: 177.7 (up from 171.7)
Wales total: 194 (up from 184.9)
The headlines from the latest ONS infection survey published on March 4 suggest the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in Wales decreased during the week ending February 26. It means cases in Wales have fallen for the third week in a row. We're expecting updated figures on Friday, March 11.
In the last survey, it was estimated 94,200 people in Wales, equivalent to one in 30, had Covid in the week ending February 26. This was the same as England. However, Scotland has seen an increase with one in 19 having Covid in the last week for which data is available. Northern Ireland continues to have the highest rates of Covid in the UK, although rates are decreasing.
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 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.
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