Four more people have died with coronavirus according to latest figures from Public Health Wales. New data published on Tuesday, March 29, and covering a 72-hour period, also show 4,853 new positive PCR test results to bring the total to 858,983.
The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,126. The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 24 is 451.5 cases for every 100,000 people – a rise from the 443.1 cases recorded on Monday.
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 reasons why Covid infection rates are rising again in Wales
In the seven days to March 24 a total of 38.7% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result – a rise on the 38.6% reported on Monday. The highest positivity rates were in Blaenau Gwent (44.5%), Monmouthshire (43.8%) and Cardiff (41.3%).
The highest infection rate (based on PCR tests) for the seven days up to March 24 was Blaenau Gwent with 700 cases per 100,000 population followed by Vale of Glamorgan with 532.2 and Denbighshire with 514.1.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 72-hour period with 583 followed by RCT with 313, Swansea with 306, Carmarthenshire with 281, Caerphilly with 263, Wrexham with 230, Flintshire with 222, Newport with 219, Gwynedd with 209 and Vale of Glamorgan with 205.
Meanwhile Powys had 198 new cases, Denbighshire had 190, Bridgend had 182, Pembrokeshire had 180, Conwy had 178, Torfaen had 154, Neath Port Talbot had 153 and Blaenau Gwent had 146.
The local authorities with the lowest numbers of new cases included Anglesey with 129, Merthyr Tydfil with 119, Ceredigion with 115 and Monmouthshire with 113.
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As of March 28 there were 19 patients in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19, up from 12 on March 25. Nine of them were based in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB), three were in Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, three were in Hywel Dda UHB, three were in Swansea Bay UHB, and one was in Aneurin Bevan UHB.
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 28 there were 798 patients in acute hospitals with confirmed Covid of whom 99 (12%) were being treated for the condition. That figure has fallen in the last week.
A total of 2,528,664 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,399,341 have been given two doses. Meanwhile 1,923,997 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 24:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 700 (up from 695.7)
Newport: 482.3 (down from 486.8)
Caerphilly: 443.5 (down from 444.6)
Torfaen: 487.4 (down from 497)
Monmouthshire: 513.8 (down from 522.3)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 350.7 (down from 379.7)
Anglesey: 452.6 (up from 389.8)
Gwynedd: 405.4 (down from 455.2)
Denbighshire: 514.1 (up from 466.1)
Flintshire: 462.5 (up from 461.2)
Wrexham: 492.8 (up from 465.6)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 476.7 (up from 451.3)
Vale of Glamorgan: 532.2 (up from 521.8)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 470.8 (up from 384.6)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 483.3 (up from 475)
Bridgend: 376.7 (up from 350.9)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 441.3 (down from 454)
Pembrokeshire: 474.5 (down from 475.3)
Ceredigion: 414.1 (down from 433.3)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 413 (up from 380.6)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 331.4 (up from 328.6)
Swansea: 332.8 (up from 325.9)
Wales total: 451.5 (up from 443.1)
The latest data on lateral flow tests, for the week to March 21, shows a massive increase in positive tests. There were 30,712 positive test results reported in the last seven days. That's up substantially from 21,212 the previous week and the highest weekly figure ever recorded.
The Office for National Statistics infection survey, published on Friday, March 25, also shows cases are increasing rapidly. It estimates that 192,000 people in Wales - or around 1 in 16 - had Covid the week ending March 19. That is the same as in England while Scotland has the highest Covid rate with one in 11 people currently infected. One in 17 people in Northern Ireland are estimated to have it.
From Monday, March 28 people no longer have to wear masks in shops or on public transport in Wales, but they will still be needed in hospitals and health care settings. The Welsh Government has decided not to relax all restrictions - as it had hoped to do - as cases continue to rise in Wales.
The legal requirement to self-isolate has also been scrapped and instead people will be asked to stay inside if they test positive but it is no longer going to be the law. Businesses will still be asked to complete risk assessments.
Meanwhile on Monday sweeping changes to testing were announced by the Welsh Government which include:
Wednesday, March 30, is the last day the public will be able to book a PCR test if they have symptoms;
From Thursday, March 31, all PCR testing sites in Wales will close and free lateral flow tests to support regular asymptomatic testing in workplaces will end except for health and social care workers;
Free lateral flow tests for the public for regular asymptomatic testing will end on Thursday, March 31;
From Friday, April 1, if you have Covid symptoms you should use a lateral flow test to check whether you have Covid and from that date, only people eligible for Covid-19 treatments will be able to order PCR tests to be done at home;
Routine asymptomatic testing in childcare and education settings, except special education provision, will stop on Friday, April 8.
To understand more about the consequences of this decision please go here.
