Another seven people in Wales have died with coronavirus, it has been announced, as Wales' infection rate falls for the third day in a row.
New figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) published on Friday, October 29, which cover the last 24-hour period, show the total number of Covid-related deaths in Wales is now 6,141.
There were also 2,561 new positive cases recorded in today's update, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 434,956.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales based on the cases for every 100,000 people (for the seven days up to October 24) now stands at 653.1 – a fall from the 671.3 reported on Thursday and a third consecutive day where rates have fallen. For more health-related content please go here
The local authority with the highest infection rate in Wales is still Blaenau Gwent with 930.4 cases per 100,000 population over seven days, closely followed by Torfaen with 928 and Caerphilly with 868.1.
The test positivity rate across Wales is at 22.7%, which has fallen in recent days but still means more than a fifth of all those getting tests are coming back positive. Nearly three in ten people in Neath Port Talbot are having their test come back positive (27%) - the highest of any local authority.
The areas of the country recording the highest numbers of Covid cases in the latest 24-hour period were Cardiff with 340, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 193, Swansea with 178, Caerphilly with 177, Carmarthenshire with 161, Neath Port Talbot with 147, Vale of Glamorgan with 124, Newport with 117 and Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire with 103 each.
Meanwhile, both Powys and Flintshire had 89 new cases, Wrexham had 83, Denbighshire had 78, Bridgend had 75, Blaenau Gwent had 74 and Conwy had 70.
The local authorities with the lowest numbers of cases included Anglesey with 56, Torfaen with 50, Merthyr Tydfil with 43 and Ceredigion with 42.
As of October 28 there were 754 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a rise on the 718 reported two days before.
Aneurin Bevan UHB had the most Covid patients in general and acute hospital beds on October 26 with 182 followed by Cardiff and Vale UHB with 139, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with 132, Hywel Dda UHB with 120, Swansea Bay UHB with 93 and Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with 86.
As of October 28 there were 70 people in invasive ventilated beds in Wales with coronavirus. Betsi Cadwaladr UHB had 14, Cardiff and Vale UHB had 13, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB had 12, Swansea Bay UHB had 11, and Aneurin Bevan UHB and Hywel Dda UHB had 10 each.
On Thursday Public Health Wales figures showed that 2,438,707 people have had one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,242,868 have had both doses.
PHW has now released figures on the number of people who have received their Covid booster vaccine. To date, 403,547 have had it - including two thirds of care home residents (68.8%) and more than half of healthcare workers (64.6%), care home workers (53.8%) and those over 80 years old (56.6%).
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is now being administered to 12 to 15-year-olds in mass vaccination centres and some schools. You can read more about that here.
Uptake of the first vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
- Severely immunosuppressed: 99.2%
- Care home residents: 98.1%
- Care home workers: 94.3%
- 80 years and older: 95.9%
- Healthcare workers: 97.1%
- Social care workers: 98.2%
- 75-79 years: 96.9%
- 70-74 years: 96.2%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 93.4%
- 65-69 years: 94.7%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 89.9%
- 60-64 years: 91.3%
- 55-59 years: 89%
- 50-54 years: 87%
- 40-49 years: 81.1%
- 30-39 years: 74.5%
- 18-29 years: 75.3%
- 16-17 years: 73.6%
- 12-15 years: 41.1%
Uptake of the second vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
Severely immunosuppressed: 40.4%
- Care home residents: 96.8%
- Care home workers: 91.6%
- 80 years and older: 95.1%
- Healthcare workers: 95.5%
- Social care workers: 97.1%
- 75-79 years: 96.2%
- 70-74 years: 95.6%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 91.4%
- 65-69 years: 93.9%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 86.2%
- 60-64 years: 90.1%
- 55-59 years: 87.5%
- 50-54 years: 85.1%
- 40-49 years: 78%
- 30-39 years: 68.9%
- 18-29 years: 67.2%
- 16-17 years: 20.7%
- 12-15 years: 0.1%
Uptake of booster vaccines (according to PHW)
- Care home residents: 68.8%
- Care home workers: 53.8%
- 80 years and older: 56.6%
- Healthcare workers: 64.6%
- Social care workers: 59.3%
- 75-79 years: 48.6%
- 70-74 years: 38.6%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 16.1%
- 65-69 years: 10.5%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 1.9%
- 60-64 years: 1.8%
- 55-59 years: 1%
- 50-54 years: 0.9%
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to October 24:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 930.4 (down from 1,026.3)
Newport: 810.7 (down from 841.8)
Caerphilly: 868.1 (down from 907.4)
Torfaen: 928 (down from 973.8)
Monmouthshire: 692.5 (down from 716.8)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 413.8 (down from 418.9)
Anglesey: 374.1 (up from 356.9)
Gwynedd: 464.8 (down from 472.1)
Denbighshire: 538.2 (down from 574.7)
Flintshire: 391.4 (down from 403.6)
Wrexham: 365.6 (down from 372.9)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 708.4 (down from 732.3)
Vale of Glamorgan: 831.7 (down from 839.2)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 663.1 (down from 676.3)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 647.8 (down from 661.9)
Bridgend: 586.9 (up from 586.2)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 596 (up from 594.9)
Pembrokeshire: 821 (down from 860)
Ceredigion: 654.8 (down from 656.2)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 548.9 (down from 563.3)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 784.3 (down from 824.1)
Swansea: 626.7 (up from 621.5)
Wales total: 653.1 (down from 671.3)
On Friday, Mark Drakeford issued a stark warning as part of the latest review of Wales' Covid rules. He warned restrictions could be reintroduced in Wales in three weeks if cases do not drop and announced some new rule changes which come into immediate effect.
The changes coming into force are:
- Changes to the rules around self-isolation. You can read all the details here.
- You'll need a Covid Pass in theatres and cinemas. Read more about that here.
- Headteachers will be helped to introduce measures if case rates are high locally.
- Shops have been encouraged to get people to stick to the rules to wear masks.
- Businesses will be encouraged to resume working from home.
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