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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Mark Smith & Sian Burkitt

Newport coronavirus cases increase as 14 more deaths are reported across Wales

Newport has seen an increase in its weekly average of coronavirus cases and 14 more people have died across Wales, Public Health Wales (PHW) has announced.

The seven-day rolling average of cases in Newport on October 21 stands at 64 per 100,000, up from Tuesday's figure of 58.8 per 100,000.

Latest figures from PHW for Wednesday, October 21, also show 26 new positive cases in Newport.

PHW also reported 962 positive test results across Wales in the last 24 hours, a drop on the record-breaking 1,148 recorded on Tuesday.

It also confirmed that 14 more people had died with the virus to bring the overall death toll with lab-confirmed coronavirus since the pandemic began to 1,736.

That's the highest number seen in a single day since May 28 when 16 deaths were reported.

Cardiff remains the local authority with the highest number of cases per 100,000 people with 293 , a rise on the 283.7 recorded on Tuesday.

Merthyr Tydfil had the second most with 253.6 , up from 217.2, while Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) was third with 229.2, up from 201, and Wrexham fourth with 219.2, up from 200.8.

The other local authority areas recording more than 100 cases included Bridgend with 191.1, Blaenau Gwent with 187.5, Neath Port Talbot with 186.3, Swansea with 161.9, Flintshire with 144.8, Denbighshire with 142.1, Caerphilly with 136.4 and Conwy with 114.3.

The Wales overall infection rate is 149.8 per 100,000, which is up from 140.9 recorded the day before.

Several hospitals are now reporting Covid-19 outbreaks including the Royal Glamorgan, the Royal Gwent, Princess of Wales, Prince Charles, and Morriston.

These are the key details on Wednesday:

  • Deaths reported today: 14

  • Cases reported today: 962 (down from 1,148 on Tuesday)

  • Number of tests carried out yesterday: 9,464 (down from 12,455 on Tuesday)

  • Total deaths with lab-confirmed coronavirus in Wales: 1,736

Use this tool to check case figures in your area:

Cardiff, with 223, saw by far the most new cases reported on Wednesday, followed by RCT with 140, Swansea with 87, Neath Port Talbot with 62, Caerphilly with 46, Wrexham with 40 and Merthyr Tydfil with 36.

There were also double-digit increases in Bridgend (28), Carmarthenshire (27), Blaenau Gwent and Newport (26), Monmouthshire and Torfaen (20), Gwynedd (19), Conwy (18), Flintshire (15), the Vale of Glamorgan (12), Pembrokeshire (11) and Denbighshire (10).

Meanwhile, Anglesey recorded seven new cases, Powys had four and Ceredigion had two.

Cases per 100,000 for rolling seven days (October 12-18)

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Blaenau Gwent: 187.5 (Up)

Newport: 64 (Up)

Torfaen: 92.6 (Up)

Caerphilly: 136.4 (Up)

Monmouthshire: 96.2 (Up)

Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board

Flintshire: 144.8 (Down)

Wrexham: 219.2 (Up)

Conwy: 114.3 (Down)

Denbighshire: 142.1 (Down)

Gwynedd: 77.1 (Up)

Anglesey: 91.4 (Up)

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Cardiff: 293 (Up)

Vale of Glamorgan: 51.7 (Up)

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Merthyr Tydfil: 253.6 (Up)

Rhondda Cynon Taf: 229.2 (Up)

Bridgend: 191.1 (Down)

Hywel Dda University Health Board

Carmarthenshire: 68.3 (Up)

Ceredigion: 27.5 (Up)

Pembrokeshire: 50.1 (Up)

Powys Teaching Health Board

Powys: 48.3 (Up)

Swansea Bay University Health Board

Swansea: 161.9 (Up)

Neath Port Talbot: 186.3 (Up)

Wales overall: 149.8 (Up)

In addition, PHW has started publishing data on infection rates in hyper-localised areas of Wales. People can now see cases for your area since the start of the pandemic, or the last rolling 7 or 21 days.

On Monday First Minister Mark Drakeford announced a 17-day "fire-break" lockdown for Wales which will run from Friday, October 23, at 6pm to Monday, November 9.

Everyone will be expected to stay at home wherever possible, non-essential retail will shut, and secondary schools will close for those in year nine and above. Read the full announcement here.

Mr Drakeford said it was critical to act now to reduce the rising rates of coronavirus in Wales which has seen 3,870 new confirmed cases between October 10 and 16.

"The number of people being taken to hospital with coronavirus symptoms is growing every day. Our critical care units are already full," he admitted.

"We are asking our healthcare and social care staff, who have already done so much, to work even harder.

"Unless we act the NHS will not be able to look after the increasing number of people who will fall seriously ill in the coming weeks, even with the extra 5,000 beds we have available. And even more people will die.

"If this happens we would have to take even more extreme measures to bring the virus under control – we would be looking at an open-ended national lockdown such as the one we had in March of this year."

Speaking at the Welsh Government press conference on Wednesday, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the number of people in hospital is now on the rise.

He admitted that the higher rate of infections that have been seen among young people had now spread to older generations and this was being seen in hospitals.

He said: "The number of people admitted to hospital in Wales for treatment for coronavirus symptoms continues to rise every day.

"The latest figures I have from NHS Wales, show there are 894 covid-related cases in our hospitals – up 26% from the same time last week.

"This is the highest it has been since June. There are 43 people in critical care with coronavirus – 72% higher than last week.

"One of the reasons why we are seeing more people being admitted to hospital is because as the virus has become more widespread in Wales, it has spread from younger age groups to older people."

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