The Covid-19 infection rate in Wales continues to rise with more than 10,300 new cases of the virus recorded, and infection rates increasing in every area of Wales.
On Friday the latest data from Public Health Wales, covering the 24-hour period up to 9am on December 30, showed 10,393 new cases bringing the total in Wales since the pandemic began to 632,125.
The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test has now risen to 6,667 in Wales with a further 11 fatalities since the last data was released. The figures relating to deaths covers the 24-hour period up to 9am on December 29.
This is how the infection rate has grown in Wales in December:
And how it compares to the pandemic as a whole
Read more: Huge increase in number of people in hospital with Covid in Wales
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales, based on the seven days up to December 26, has risen to 1,190.2 from 1,092.5 cases per 100,000 population on Thursday – the highest figure at any stage of the pandemic.
Infection rates in each local authority have risen. The highest rate in Wales for the seven days from December 20 to 26 is Merthyr Tydfil, where the figure is 1,450.5, followed by Cardiff with 1,405 and Rhondda Cynon Taf with 1,383.5. The only areas where the rates are under 1,000 are Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Carmarthenshire and Powys.
The areas of the country recording the highest numbers of new Covid cases in the latest 24-hour period are Rhondda Cynon Taf with 915, Cardiff with 825 and Swansea with 740.
Caerphilly had 590, Flintshire 533, Neath Port Talbot 489, Carmarthenshire 476, Newport 457, Conwy and Bridgend both had 420 cases, Wrexham had 401 and the Vale of Glamorgan with 401.
The counties with fewer than 400 were the Vale of Glamorgan with 357 cases, Blaenau Gwent with 340, Gwynedd with 316, Powys with 296 and Anglesey with 247.
The areas with the fewest cases were Denbighshire with 244, Merthyr Tydfil with 226, Pembrokeshire with 177, Monmouthshire with 137 and Ceredigion with 135.
What do you think should be done to slow the spread? Have your say in the comments section
Hospitalisations are now rising
But ICU bed occupancy with Covid are not
As of December 29 there were 604 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a rise on the 444 last reported a week earlier on December 22. This is an increase of 36%.
There were 32 people in ventilated intensive care beds with Covid-19 on December 30, one more than on December 22.
As of 9am on December 30 a total of 2,490,223 people had received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,302,282 had been given both doses. Meanwhile 1,626,146 people have been given their booster jabs in Wales. The Welsh Government has confirmed that all eligible adults have been offered one by the end of December.
Uptake of the first vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW as of December 29):
- Severely immunosuppressed: 99.2%
- Care home residents: 98.3%
- Care home workers: 94.7%
- 80 years and older: 96.2%
- Healthcare workers: 97.4%
- Social care workers: 45,378
- 75-79 years: 97.1%
- 70-74 years: 96.5%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 95.5%
- 65-69 years: 95.3%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 90.5%
- 60-64 years: 93.7%
- 55-59 years: 92%
- 50-54 years: 90.3%
- 40-49 years: 85.6%
- 30-39 years: 90.3%
- 18-29 years: 79.3%
- 16-17 years: 77.9%
- 12-15 years: 57.4%
Uptake of the second vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
Severely immunosuppressed: 89.7%
- Care home residents: 97.2%
- Care home workers: 92.6%
- 80 years and older: 95.6%
- Healthcare workers: 96.1%
- Social care workers: 45,811
- 75-79 years: 96.5%
- 70-74 years: 95.9%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 94.2%
- 65-69 years: 94.5%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 87.2%
- 60-64 years: 92.7%
- 55-59 years: 90.8%
- 50-54 years: 88.7%
- 40-49 years: 83.1%
- 30-39 years: 75.3%
- 18-29 years: 72.8%
- 16-17 years: 56.4%
- 12-15 years: 5.8%
Uptake of booster vaccines (according to PHW):
- Care home residents: 87.5%
- Care home workers: 72.5%
- 80 years and older: 86.5%
- Healthcare workers: 82.2%
- Social care workers: 38,149
- 75-79 years: 88.5%
- 70-74 years: 88.3%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 52.8%
- 65-69 years: 86%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 68.3%
- 60-64 years: 81.2%
- 55-59 years: 75.9%
- 50-54 years: 70%
- 40-49 years: 56.1%
- 30-39 years: 39.6%
- 18-29 years: 30.8%
- 16-17 years: 7.4%
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to December 26:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 931.8 (up from 767.2)
Newport: 1,272.3 (up from 1,159.8)
Caerphilly: 1,097.9 (up from 982.5)
Torfaen: 1,245.2 (up from 1,103.6)
Monmouthshire: 899.7 (up from 858.4)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 1,244.8 (up from 1,124.5)
Anglesey: 1,176.4 (up from 1,116.5)
Gwynedd: 1,285.3 (up from 1,182.6)
Denbighshire: 1,293.7 (up from 1,128.4)
Flintshire: 1,197.3 (up from 1,080.1)
Wrexham: 1,095.9 (up from 972.4)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 1,405 (up from 1,364.1)
Vale of Glamorgan: 1,318.2 (up from 1,224.7)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 1,450.5 (up from 1,243.2)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 1,383.5 (up from 1,232.7)
Bridgend: 1,296.2 (up from 1,1212.5)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 865.1 (up from 778.7)
Pembrokeshire: 1,005.4 (up from 917.2)
Ceredigion: 1,272.4 (up from 1,188.5)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 798.1 (up from 728.7)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 1,027.1 (up from 919)
Swansea: 1,131.6 (up from 1,053.1)
Wales total: 1,190.2 (up from 1,092.5)
The Welsh Government has reintroduced tighter restrictions in the wake of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The regulations bring back stricter measures for hospitality businesses, including licensed premises, and in cinemas and theatres when they re-open after the festive period.
Meanwhile, the self-isolation period for people in Wales who have Covid has been cut from 10 days to seven.
It only applies to people who have two negative lateral flow tests on days six and seven of their isolation. Full details of the new rules here.
The change comes into effect from New Year's Eve rather than 5 January, as was first planned.
This brings Wales into line with England, which brought in the change on December 22, and Northern Ireland which will also cut its self-isolation time from today. Scotland still has a 10-day self-isolation period.
The change also applies to people who are already self-isolating, as well as new cases.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We are bringing the change forward because the balance of harms has changed and the rising number of cases risks our ability to deliver critical services."
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