A further 31 people have died with coronavirus in Wales and more than 1,000 new cases have been reported, according to the latest figures.
Public Health Wales (PHW), in its daily update on Friday, November 20, announced that 1,020 more people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 following a lab test. This was down from 1,048 from Thursday.
The total number of people in Wales who have now died with lab-confirmed coronavirus stands at 2,338.
Wales’ infection rate has seen a slight increase with 166.5 positive cases per 100,000 people for the last seven days (November 11-17) compared with 164.5 per 100,000 on Thursday.
These are the key details on Friday:
Deaths reported today: 31
Cases reported today: 1,020 (Down from 1,048 on Thursday)
Number of tests carried out: 13,292 (Up from 11,809 on Thursday)
Total deaths with lab-confirmed coronavirus in Wales: 2,338
Blaenau Gwent is now the local authority with the most cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day average with 356.0, down from 356.4 on Thursday.
Rhondda Cynon Taf is second highest, with 250.8, down from 256.6 yesterday.
Merthyr Tydfil is the third highest area for infections at 245.3, down from 256.9 one day prior.
The areas with the highest numbers of new cases on Friday were Swansea with 123, Cardiff with 115, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 108, Newport with 70, Caerphilly with 65, Carmarthenshire with 64 and Neath Port Talbot with 61.
Additional areas with high case numbers included Blaenau Gwent with 46, Bridgend with 40, Vale of Glamorgan with 39, Flintshire with 36, Wrexham and Merthyr Tydfil each with 33, Torfaen with 35, Monmouthshire with 21, Powys with 15, Pembrokeshire with 14, Conwy with 13 and Ceredigion with 10.
Local authorities in the single digits were Denbighshire with 8 and Gwynedd and Anglesey each with 1.
Cases per 100,000 for rolling seven days (Nov 11-17)
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Blaenau Gwent: 365.0 (Up from 356.4)
Caerphilly: 238.0 (Down from 251.8)
Newport: 200.4 (Up from 196.5)
Torfaen: 192.6 (Up from 176.7)
Monmouthshire: 138.5 (Unchanged)
Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board
Flintshire: 164.6 (Up from 160.8)
Wrexham: 139.8 (Down from 140.5)
Denbighshire: 87.8 (Unchanged)
Conwy: 45.2 (Up from 44.4)
Gwynedd: 29.7 (Down from 34.5)
Anglesey: 24.3 (Up from 22.8)
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff: 161.1 (Down from 161.4)
Vale of Glamorgan: 127.3 (Up from 107.0)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 250.8 (Down from 256.6)
Merthyr Tydfil: 245.3 (Down from 256.9)
Bridgend: 197.2 (Up from 194.5)
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Carmarthenshire: 160.5 (Up from 147.8)
Ceredigion: 93.5 (Unchanged)
Pembrokeshire: 54.8 (Down from 55.6)
Powys Teaching Health Board
Powys: 83.8 (Up from 82.3)
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Neath Port Talbot: 239.3 (Up from 231.7)
Swansea: 223.5 (Up from 220.2)
Wales total – 166.5 (Up from 164.5)
Use this tool to check case figures in your area:
Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “From tomorrow, Saturday 21 November, everyone living, working and studying in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough will be eligible for a free COVID-19 test whether they have symptoms or not.
“This mass testing exercise will help to understand how the virus has spread in Merthyr and to break the chains of transmission in the area. Merthyr has one of the highest rates of Coronavirus in Wales and this will help to get the virus under control.
“Public Health Wales encourages as many people as possible to come forward to be tested. For the first time in Wales, Lateral Flow Devices will be used which give a result within 30 minutes. For more information about the testing exercise visit the MTCBC website.
“Public Health Wales strongly advises the public to take personal responsibility for their actions and to ensure that we are all doing as much as possible to limit the transmission of Coronavirus.
“We would remind everyone that Coronavirus is still active in our communities, and therefore this does not mean a return to normality.
“We ask the public to observe the new regulations and to limit their contact with other people as much as possible so that we all work together to bring the numbers of positive cases down.
“This means staying out of other people’s homes, limiting the times and the numbers of people that you meet, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene, working from home if you can, and self-isolating if you show symptoms of coronavirus or are asked to do so by contact tracers.
“All of these actions will help to break the chains of transmission, reduce the spread of the virus, and keep people safe.
-- to www.walesonline.co.uk
