Seven more people have died with coronavirus, according to latest figures from Public Health Wales.
New data published on Thursday, March 17, and covering a 24-hour period, shows 2,261 new positive PCR test results to bring the total to 835,770. The total number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,058.
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 12 is 290.7 cases for every 100,000 people – a rise from the 279.8 cases recorded on Wednesday. This has been rising steadily for more than a 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.
Read more: The situation with 'Deltacron' in Wales and how much of a concern it is
The area of Wales with the highest infection rate for the seven days up to March 12 was Blaenau Gwent with 409.4 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 367.6 and Gwynedd with 362.9.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 268 followed by RCT with 168, Swansea with 139 Carmarthenshire with 125, Pembrokeshire with 119, Newport with 117, Caerphilly and Flintshire both with 110, Vale of Glamorgan with 106, Powys with 105 and Gwynedd with 104.
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 percentage of LFT tests that produced positive results increased 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.
Meanwhile Wrexham had 96 new cases, Bridgend had 89, Blaenau Gwent had 82, Monmouthshire had 80, Torfaen and Denbighshire both had 70, and Neath Port Talbot had 64.
The areas with the lowest new cases reported were Conwy with 55, Ceredigion with 52, Anglesey with 36, and Merthyr Tydfil with 29.
In the seven days to March 12 a total of 31.9% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result – a rise on the 31.2% reported on Wednesday. The highest positivity rates were in Gwynedd (38.2%), Blaenau Gwent (37.4%), and Flintshire (36.7%).
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As of March 16 there were 13 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, and three were in Hywel Dda 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 rising. As of March 16 there were 576 patients in acute hospitals with Covid of whom 101 were being treated for the condition.
A total of 2,524,176 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,394,614 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,926,653 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 12:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 409.4 (up from 393.6)
Newport: 284.5 (unchanged)
Caerphilly: 259.6 (up from 246.9)
Torfaen: 265 (up from 253.3)
Monmouthshire: 269.6 (unchanged)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 235.5 (up from 220.1)
Anglesey: 242.7 (up from 231.3)
Gwynedd: 362.9 (up from 329.2)
Denbighshire: 296.8 (up from 283.2)
Flintshire: 318.4 (up from 300.4)
Wrexham: 300.8 (up from 285.4)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 305.5 (up from 298.2)
Vale of Glamorgan: 367.6 (down from 369)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 208.9 (up from 193.9)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 330.3 (up from 316.7)
Bridgend: 233.3 (up from 231.9)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 321.6 (up from 307.8)
Pembrokeshire: 316.3 (up from 294.1)
Ceredigion: 321.9 (up from 294.4)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 243.9 (up from 235.6)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 239.3 (down from 242.1)
Swansea: 216.6 (up from 210.5)
Wales total: 290.7 (up from 279.8 )
The headlines from the latest ONS infection survey published on March 11 suggest the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in Wales increased during the week ending March 5. In the last survey it was estimated 97,900 people in Wales, equivalent to one in 30, had Covid in the week ending March 5. In England the figure was one in 25, in Scotland it was one in 19, and Northern Ireland one in 13. Every part of the UK has seen a rise in the last week.
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.
