CONCERNS have been raised about the accuracy of figures on Covid-19 related deaths of Powys residents.

Residents are warned that incidents of coronavirus in the county are higher than the figures being confirmed each day by Public Health Wales.

The County Times has continued to monitor the number of cases of the virus being recorded by both the Office for National Statistics and Public Health Wales, which show wide variations in the overall total number of fatalities in the county.

Because Powys has no district general hospital, many patients have been treated outside the county at hospitals including Aberystwyth’s Bronglais, Nevill Hall in Abergavenny, The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and Hereford County Hospital – and that has affected the daily figures.

Powys County Council's anti-poverty champion, councillor Joy Jones, said she has been contacted by many residents about the figures.

She said: “With no true figures many people think there’s no real threat in this area.

“People tell me they think there is no problem here because of the low numbers reported.

“It needs to be explained that there is a big difference in the data so that people understand that it’s still a huge problem here.”

Powys Teaching Health Board says the ONS figure is the more reliable one for understanding the scale of the outbreak in Powys.

Adrian Osborne of PTHB said: “We recognise that some people have been confused about the different ways that Covid-19 is published by different national bodies in England and Wales.

“We would therefore encourage people in Powys and the media to refer to the ONS as the most comprehensive source of Covid-19-related death statistics.

“They report on all registered deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

“This includes everyone who has died with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, and it includes information about Powys residents who have sadly died in England.”

Today's data from PHW shows that 13 people have died of coronavirus in Powys – but ONS data released last week put that number at 84.

This includes 34 people in hospitals, 45 people in care homes, and five in private homes.