Wales has recorded close to 4,000 new positive cases of coronavirus in 48 hours in the latest update from Public Health Wales.
Data published on Tuesday, August 31 identified 3,872 new cases in Wales, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 278,262.
There was one new Covid-19 death reported in Wales, meaning the total number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive is now 5,672. The latest update covers the 48 hours between 9am on Friday, August 27 and 9am on Sunday, August 29.
The number of people in hospital in both general wards and intensive care beds with Covid-19 in Wales is also rising rapidly but remains at far lower levels than in earlier waves of the pandemic.
Read more: Welsh Government will consider vaccine passports if cases continue to rise
The latest Covid infection rate across Wales as a whole is now 386.6 cases per 100,000 people based on the seven days up to August 25 – up from 355 recorded on Sunday. Rates have risen in the majority of local authorities in Wales.
Growing numbers of local areas across the UK are recording their highest rates of new cases of Covid-19 since comparable records began as the third wave of coronavirus continues to pick up pace across the country.
Parts of Wales, Scotland and south-west England are all experiencing case rates higher than at any point since mass testing was first introduced in summer 2020, while areas of Northern Ireland hit a new peak in recent days.
The figures come amid warnings of a further increase in the spread of the virus in the coming weeks.
The Public Health Wales figures released on Tuesday are based on the date a test was done, not the date a test was put on the system, meaning it is an accurate reflection of how fast the virus is spreading in Wales.
The area with the highest infection rate in Wales is Swansea which soared to 638.1 per 100,000 population, followed by Neath Port Talbot with 515.6 and Denbighshire with 493.2. You can read out analysis of the worrying virus spike hitting Swansea Bay here.
The areas with the highest number of cases reported on Tuesday are Swansea with 515, Cardiff with 301, Neath Port Talbot with 298, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 262, Bridgend with 219, Carmarthenshire with 212 and Caerphilly with 200.
The areas with the lowest cases were Blaenau Gwent with 71, Ceredigion with 68 and Anglesey with 66.
As of August 27 there were 288 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus (confirmed, suspected and recovering).
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB had the most Covid patients in general and acute hospital on August 27 with 79, followed by Aneurin Bevan UHB with 59, Cardiff and Vale UHB with 48, Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB with 42, Hywel Dda UHB with 32, Swansea Bay UHB with 26, and Powys Teaching Health Board with two.
As of August 27 there were 40 people in invasive ventilated beds in Wales with coronavirus. Betsi Cadwaladr had 13 of those patients with nine in Aneurin Bevan, five in Cwm Taf and Hywel Dda and four each in Cardiff and Swansea.
The number of patients confirmed to have coronavirus in hospital has almost doubled within the past fortnight, up from 129 on August 13 to 245 on August 27.
The latest figures show that 2,352,754 people in Wales have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 2,180,336 people have received both doses of the jab.
Uptake of the first vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
- Care home residents: 98.2%
- Care home workers: 93.9%
- 80 years and older: 96.2%
- Healthcare workers: 96.8%
- Social care workers: 45,735 (no percentage available)
- 75-79 years: 96.9%
- 70-74 years: 96.3%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 94.1%
- 65-69 years: 95.1%
- Clinical risk groups 16-64 years: 90.2%
- 60-64 years: 93.5%
- 55-59 years: 91.7%
- 50-54 years: 89.8%
- 40-49 years: 84.7%
- 30-39 years: 77.3%
- 18-29 years: 76.4%
- 16-17 years: 61%
Uptake of the second vaccine dose by priority group (according to PHW):
- Care home residents: 95.6%
- Care home workers: 90.7%
- 80 years and older: 95%
- Healthcare workers: 94.7%
- Social care workers: 45,031 (no percentage available)
- 75-79 years: 96.1%
- 70-74 years: 95.6%
- Clinically extremely vulnerable 16-69 years: 91.9%
- 65-69 years: 94.1%
- Clinical risk groups 16-64 years: 86.7%
- 60-64 years: 92.1%
- 55-59 years: 90%
- 50-54 years: 87.6%
- 40-49 years: 81.1%
- 30-39 years: 70.6%
- 18-29 years: 65.6%
- 16-17 years: 10.6%
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Infection rate for every 100,000 people in each area for the seven days (week up to August 25):
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 251.9 (up from 209)
Newport: 387.9 (up from 349.1)
Caerphilly: 335.2 (up from 286.1)
Torfaen: 349.1 (down from 353.3)
Monmouthshire: 268.5 (down from 299.2)
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Conwy: 404.4 (up from 358.4)
Anglesey: 272.7 (up from 222.7)
Gwynedd: 355.7 (up from 304.3)
Denbighshire: 493.2 (up from 479.6)
Flintshire: 315.2 (up from 308.1)
Wrexham: 320 (down from 328)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 302.8 (up from 276.9)
Vale of Glamorgan: 342.1 (up from 336.1)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Merthyr Tydfil: 363 (up from 230.4)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 467.5 (up from 430.2)
Bridgend: 350.2 (up from 316.2)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 372.9 (up from 320.5)
Pembrokeshire: 396.6 (down from 426)
Ceredigion: 332.9 (up from 299.9)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 319.4 (up from 312.6)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 515.6 (up from 480.8)
Swansea: 638.1 (up from 543.7)
Wales total: 386.6 (up from355)
Nearly all coronavirus restrictions were lifted in Wales on Saturday, August 7, offering people and businesses the greatest amount of freedom since the start of the pandemic.
Restrictions on the number of people meeting indoors in private homes, public places, or at events have been lifted and all businesses and premises can now open.
On Friday, the Welsh Government confirmed there will be no changes to the current coronavirus rules as Wales marks three weeks since nearly all restrictions were scrapped.
The public health position is “worse than it was three weeks ago” due to rising infection rates but the Welsh Government sees no reason to change the restrictions that remain in place in Wales, bar some minor amendments.
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