Wales' coronavirus infection rate has now soared to above 2,000 cases per 100,000 population - by far the most recorded since the start of the pandemic.
Latest figures from Public Health Wales published on Wednesday, January 5 show 21,279 new positive cases over the 24-hour period up to 9am on January 3 to bring the total to 689,750.
A further 10 people have also died within 28 days of testing positive, meaning 6,599 patients have now lost their lives with the virus to date.
Read more: The good news from Wales' hospitals despite the number of Covid patients growing massively
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales, based on the seven days up to December 31, has risen from 1,415 cases per 100,000 population on Sunday to 2,133.4 on Wednesday – 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 between December 25 and 31 was Rhondda Cynon Taf with 2,638.6 per 100,000, followed by Merthyr Tydfil with 2,557.8, and Blaenau Gwent with 2,503.5.
Rhondda Cynon Taf recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 1,572, followed by Swansea with 1,377, Cardiff with 1,374, Flintshire with 1,244, Carmarthenshire with 1,151, Neath Port Talbot with 1,145, Caerphilly with 1,049, and Wrexham with 1,036.
Other local authorities reporting very high case numbers were Conwy with 954, Bridgend with 896, Gwynedd with 880, Newport with 860, Pembrokeshire with 735, Denbighshire with 718, Powys with 690, and Anglesey with 685.
The lowest number of cases were found in Blaenau Gwent with 547, Vale of Glamorgan with 521, Torfaen with 496, Merthyr Tydfil with 382, Ceredigion with 375 and Monmouthshire with 288.
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As of January 4 there were 883 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected, and recovering), a rise on the 697 reported on December 31.
There were 47 people in ventilated intensive care beds with Covid-19 on January 4, a jump from 33 on December 31.
As of 9am on January 3 a total of 2,492,440 people had received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,307,957 had been given both doses. Meanwhile 1,667,192 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 December 31:
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 2,784.1 (up from 2,503.5)
Newport: 2,249.9 (up from 2,127)
Caerphilly: 2,251 (up from 2,092.5)
Torfaen: 2,439.3 (up from 2,294.6)
Monmouthshire: 1,402.9 (up from 1,325.7)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 2,288.3 (up from 2,099.8)
Anglesey: 1,870.3 (up from 1,386.3)
Gwynedd: 1,872.2 (up from 1,634.6)
Denbighshire: 1,932.2 (up from 1,780..6)
Flintshire: 2,140.9 (up from 1,921.2)
Wrexham: 1,925.6 (up from 1,701.3)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 2,033 (up from 1,998.3)
Vale of Glamorgan: 2,114.7 (up from 2,083.3)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 2,798.1 (up from 2,557.8)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 2,811.4 (up from 2,638.6)
Bridgend: 2,306 (up from 2,136)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 1,814.4 (up from 1,715.3)
Pembrokeshire: 1,545.1 (up from 1,492.6)
Ceredigion: 1,760.8 (up from 1,638.4)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 1,587.9 (up from 1,436.9)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 2,310.3 (up from 2,125.4)
Swansea: 2,193.6 (up from 2,076.6)
Wales total: 2,133.4 (up from 1,986.5 )
Uptake of the first vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW as of January 3):
- 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: 45,425
- 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: 92.1%
- 50-54 years: 90.3%
- 40-49 years: 85.6%
- 30-39 years: 79.6%
- 18-29 years: 79.3%
- 16-17 years: 78.1%
- 12-15 years: 58.2%
Uptake of the second vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
Severely immunosuppressed: 90%
- Care home residents: 97.3%
- Care home workers: 92.7%
- 80 years and older: 95.6%
- Healthcare workers: 96.1%
- Social care workers: 45,854
- 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: 87.3%
- 60-64 years: 92.7%
- 55-59 years: 90.8%
- 50-54 years: 88.7%
- 40-49 years: 83.1%
- 30-39 years: 75.4%
- 18-29 years: 72.8%
- 16-17 years: 57.7%
- 12-15 years: 8.2%
Uptake of booster vaccines (according to PHW):
- Care home residents: 87.9%
- Care home workers: 73.1%
- 80 years and older: 86.9%
- Healthcare workers: 83%
- Social care workers: 38,576
- 75-79 years: 88.7%
- 70-74 years: 88.4%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 53.2%
- 65-69 years: 86.3%
- Clinical risk groups 12-64 years: 69.5%
- 60-64 years: 82%
- 55-59 years: 77.1%
- 50-54 years: 71.9%
- 40-49 years: 58.4%
- 30-39 years: 41.9%
- 18-29 years: 32.9%
- 16-17 years: 9.7%
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.
Meanwhile, the self-isolation period for people in Wales who have Covid has been cut from 10 days to seven.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has reiterated his warning that Wales is set to experience "challenging weeks" in January as the Omicron variant has become dominant in all parts of the country. Read what he had to say on Sunday morning here.
Boris Johnson has tasked ministers with developing "robust contingency plans" for workplace absences as the UK Government acknowledged high Covid levels could hit businesses hard over the coming weeks.
Public sector leaders have been asked to prepare for a worst-case scenario of up to 25% of staff off work as the virus continues to sweep across the country, the Cabinet Office said.
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