Seventeen more people have died with coronavirus in Wales according to latest figures from Public Health Wales.
New figures published on Thursday, November 4, which covers the 24 hours up to 9am on November 3, shows the total number of Covid-related deaths in Wales now stands at 6,201.
There were also 2,799 new positive cases recorded in the latest update bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 450,455.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales based on the cases for every 100,000 people (for the seven days up to October 30) now stands at 550.6 – a slight rise from the 546.2 reported on Wednesday. It's the first time in seven days that the infection rate has risen.
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The local authority with the highest infection rate in Wales is now Vale of Glamorgan with 777 cases per 100,000 population over seven days followed by Torfaen with 752.4 and Caerphilly with 724.6.
The test positivity rate across Wales is at 23.4%, which is unchanged from the figure reported on Wednesday. Nearly three in 10 people in Caerphilly are having their test come back positive (28%), which is 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 335, Swansea with 211, RCT with 203, Caerphilly with 198, Vale of Glamorgan with 164, and Neath Port Talbot with 148.
Meanwhile Carmarthenshire had 141 new cases, Powys had 126, Torfaen had 124, Pembrokeshire had 123, Bridgend had 113, Flintshire had 103, Gwynedd had 97, Wrexham had 95, Newport and Monmouthshire both had 84, Conwy had 76 and Blaenau Gwent and Denbighshire both had 75.
The local authorities with the lowest number of cases included Merthyr Tydfil with 65, Ceredigion with 44 and Anglesey with 31.
As of November 3 there were 785 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a significant rise on the 758 reported the day before.
Aneurin Bevan UHB had the most Covid patients in general and acute hospital beds on November 3 with 196 followed by Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with 142, Cardiff and Vale UHB with 133, Hywel Dda UHB with 124, Swansea Bay UHB with 94 and Betsi Cadwaladr UHB with 91.
As of November 3 there were 72 people in invasive ventilated beds in Wales with coronavirus. Cardiff and Vale UHB had 19, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB and Betsi Cadwaladr UHB both had 13, Hywel Dda UHB had 11, Aneurin Bevan UHB had nine and Swansea Bay UHB had seven.
On Thursday Public Health Wales figures showed that 2,448,204 people have had one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,246,341 have had both doses.
PHW has now released figures on the number of people who have received their Covid booster vaccine. To date 476,545 have had it including more than two-thirds of care home residents (70.2%), close to two-thirds of healthcare workers (66.1%), and more than half of care home workers (55.7%) and those over 80 years old (61.4%).
On Tuesday the Welsh Government confirmed that it has now offered a Covid jab to all 12 to 15-year-olds. However to date only 45.9% of people in this age group have actually had it. 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: 98.2%
- Care home workers: 94.3%
- 80 years and older: 96.2%
- Healthcare workers: 97.1%
- Social care workers: 45,553
- 75-79 years: 97%
- 70-74 years: 96.4%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 95.3%
- 65-69 years: 95.2%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 90%
- 60-64 years: 93.6%
- 55-59 years: 91.9%
- 50-54 years: 90.1%
- 40-49 years: 85.2%
- 30-39 years: 78.7%
- 18-29 years: 78.2%
- 16-17 years: 74.9%
- 12-15 years: 45.9%
Uptake of the second vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
Severely immunosuppressed: 46%
- Care home residents: 96.8%
- Care home workers: 91.7%
- 80 years and older: 95.4%
- Healthcare workers: 95.6%
- Social care workers: 45,030
- 75-79 years: 96.4%
- 70-74 years: 95.8%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 93.7%
- 65-69 years: 94.3%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 86.2%
- 60-64 years: 92.4%
- 55-59 years: 90.5%
- 50-54 years: 88.3%
- 40-49 years: 82.4%
- 30-39 years: 73.8%
- 18-29 years: 70.8%
- 16-17 years: 25.9%
- 12-15 years: 0.5%
Uptake of booster vaccines (according to PHW)
- Care home residents: 70.2%
- Care home workers: 55.7%
- 80 years and older: 61.4%
- Healthcare workers: 66.1%
- Social care workers: 28,631
- 75-79 years: 57.5%
- 70-74 years: 45.5%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 16.8%
- 65-69 years: 20.2%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 2.8%
- 60-64 years: 11.2%
- 55-59 years: 11.5%
- 50-54 years: 11%
- 40-49 years: 9.2%
- 30-39 years: 6.7%
- 18-29 years: 4.4%
- 16-17 years: 0.6%
Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days up to October 30:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 635.5 (down from 655.6)
Newport: 620 (down from 629.7)
Caerphilly: 724.6 (down from 730.1)
Torfaen: 752.4 (down from 761)
Monmouthshire: 547.6 (down from 561.4)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 371.2 (up from 363.5)
Anglesey: 406.9 (up from 395.5)
Gwynedd: 476.1 (up from 442.4)
Denbighshire: 477.6 (up from 469.2)
Flintshire: 417.7 (up from 399.7)
Wrexham: 417.8 (up from 409.7)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 620.6 (up from 601.5)
Vale of Glamorgan: 777 (up from 741.8)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 485.7 (down from 503.9)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 480.4 (down from 491.2)
Bridgend: 491.7 (up from 467.2)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 510.7 (down from 512.8)
Pembrokeshire: 677.2 (up from 657.3)
Ceredigion: 430.6 (down from 448.4)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 457.6 (down from 460.6)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 635 (down from 646.1)
Swansea: 502 (down from 506.5)
Wales total: 550.6 (up from 546.2)
On Friday First Minister 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 now in 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.
- Head teachers 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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