Wales has seen another concerning rise in the number of people contracting Covid-19. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey, which is based on a random sample, has revealed that the estimated number of people testing positive for the virus for the week ending September 29 was 74,900, which equates to 2.47% of the population or around one in 40 people.
That's up on the previous week where 2.09%, or one in 50 of Wales' population, was thought to have Covid. The Welsh Government said the current rate of positive cases appears to be highest in Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Powys, while the region covering Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil has lower rates of positivity.
Across the UK total infections have risen by 31% - the biggest jump since June. The ONS said there has been a "notable rise" in cases among older age groups who are seeing the highest rates of admission to hospital. Some 1.7 million people in private households across the UK are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus in the period September 23 to October 3, according to the ONS. This is up from 1.3 million in the previous survey which covered the period September 18 to 26.
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It is the highest UK-wide total since late July, but is still below the 3.8 million weekly infections in early July, at the peak of the wave caused by the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants of the virus. There is a lag in the reporting of the ONS data due to the time it takes for the survey to be compiled.
Sarah Crofts, ONS deputy director for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: "Infections have risen again across much of the United Kingdom, continuing the pattern of steady increases seen over recent weeks, although Scotland and the north-east of England had uncertain trends in the latest week.
"We have also seen another notable rise in infections amongst older age groups in England and Wales, underlining once again the need for close monitoring as we move through the colder months."
In England, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the latest survey was 1.5 million, or around one in 35 people - up from 1.1 million, or one in 50, in the previous survey. The trend in Scotland is described by the ONS as "uncertain", with 109,700 people likely to have Covid-19 in the latest survey, or one in 50, compared with 113,000 in the previous survey, or one in 45.
In Northern Ireland the latest estimate is 45,100 infections, or one in 40 people, compared with 46,100, which is also one in 40 - though the longer trend here is showing an increase.
According to Welsh Government statistics, on October 10 the number of Covid-positive patients in Welsh hospitals hit 500 for the first time since July 19. However on that date just 18 (4%) were being actively treated for the virus. And of the seven Covid patients in intensive care beds, only three of them were being actively treated for the virus.
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