Wales has recorded 10 new deaths from Covid-19 while the seven-day infection rate has dropped after eight days of climbing, it has been revealed.
The data from Public Health Wales, published on Wednesday, February 2 and covering a 24-hour period, shows 1,870 new positive cases to bring the total to 782,388.
The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive in Wales rises to 6,833.
Read more: Cases of new Omicron ‘stealth variant’ detected in Wales
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests, for the seven days up to January 28, now stands at 545.9 cases for every 100,000 people – a reduction from the 553 recorded on Tuesday. The drop comes after eight days in a row where the infection rate was reported to have risen.
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 headlines from the latest ONS infection survey published at 2pm on Wednesday, February 2, suggest that the percentage of people testing positive for Covid in Wales has increased again during the week ending January 29.
It estimates 139,100 people in Wales, equivalent to one in 20, had Covid in the week ending January 29, the same percentage as in England. That's a jump of more than 1% compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Scotland is estimated to have the lowest Covid rates, with one in 30 people having had Covid in the same week, while in Northern Ireland, it's around one in 15.
The highest infection rate in each Welsh local authority for the seven days between January 22 and January 28 was Newport with 865 cases per 100,000, followed by Carmarthenshire with 673.3 and Torfaen with 648.1.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 316, followed by Newport with 134, Swansea with 132, Caerphilly with 131, Carmarthenshire with 129 and Flintshire with 119.
Meanwhile both Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taf reported 98 new cases, Torfaen had 79, Blaenau Gwent and Neath Port Talbot both had 63, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Pembrokeshire all had 61 each, Powys had 56 and Monmouthshire had 47.
The areas with the lowest cases were Anglesey with 29, Conwy and Wrexham with 26 each, and Gwynedd and Ceredigion with 22 apiece.
In the seven days to January 28 a total of 34.8% of PCR tests across Wales gave a positive result, a fall on the 35.1% reported on Tuesday.
The highest positivity rates were in Newport (41.9%), Swansea (40.1%), and Cardiff (39%).
As of January 31 there were 1,050 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a fall on the 1,083 on January 28. Within that data the number of confirmed Covid patients has risen from 527 on January 28 to 558 on January 31.
There were 11 people in ventilated intensive care beds with confirmed Covid-19 on February 1. This was down on the 13 reported on January 31 and less than third of the Omicron wave peak of 39 on January 5. It hasn't been as low as 11 patients since July 2021. Read more about the latest Covid situation in Welsh hospitals here.
A total of 2,511,342 people have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,369,003 have been given two doses. Meanwhile, 1,838,189 people have been given their booster jabs in Wales. The Welsh Government has confirmed that all eligible adults were offered one by the end of December.
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to January 28:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 555.4 (down from 585.4)
Newport : 865 (down from 896.1)
Caerphilly : 572.7 (down from 593.1)
Torfaen : 648.1 (down from 668.4)
Monmouthshire : 411.2 (up from 398.6)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 432.6 (up from 430)
Anglesey: 371.2 (up from 359.8)
Gwynedd: 272.2 (up from 268.1)
Denbighshire: 480.7 (down from 498.5)
Flintshire: 376.7 (down from 381.2)
Wrexham: 589.2 (down from 599.5)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 643.5 (down from 651.4)
Vale of Glamorgan: 625.1 (down from 626.6)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 580.2 (down from 601.7)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 477.5 (down from 483.3)
Bridgend: 555.6 (down from 571.9)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 673.3 (down from 676.5)
Pembrokeshire: 426.8 (up from 419.7)
Ceredigion: 255.9 (down from 260)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 415.3 (up from 404.7)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 537.3 (up from 535.9)
Swansea: 637.3 (down from 646.2)
Wales total: 545.9 (down from 553)
Data published on lateral flow tests, which is updated weekly in Wales, show that there has been another slight increase in the number of positive tests. There were a total of 21,127 positive tests out of 383,048 tests carried out and registered in the week from January 17 to January 23. Swansea Bay again had the highest incidence rate.
First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed on Thursday night that Wales has now moved fully to alert level zero.
It means:
- Nightclubs can re-open
- The 2m social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces is removed
- The rule of six will no longer apply to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres
- Licensed premises will no longer need to only provide table service and collect contact details.
- Working from home will remain important but it will no longer be a legal requirement
- Businesses, employers and other organisations must continue to undertake a specific coronavirus risk assessment and take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus, which may include 2m social distancing or controlled entry.
The Covid pass will continue to be required to enter larger indoor events, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls.
It was also announced that people in Wales will be able to leave self-isolation after five full days providing they have two consecutive negative lateral flow tests on day five and six, 24 hours apart.
The next three-weekly review of the coronavirus regulations will be carried out by February 11 when the Welsh Government will review all the measures at alert level zero.
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