POWYS has recorded three new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

Figures released today by Public Health Wales show the total number of cases found in the county has risen from 451 to 454. The true figure is likely to be higher.

There have been 40 cases found in Powys in the last week according to Public Health Wales.

Public Health Wales data relate to cases where coronavirus has been confirmed, and only include people who have died in hospital settings in Wales.

As such, this excludes people who have died in hospitals in England, those who have passed away in care homes, and those who died without having been tested to confirm the presence of coronavirus.

Powys Teaching Health Board has suggested Office for National Statistics (ONS) data to be the most accurate, as it shows deaths where coronavirus may have been present since the epidemic began.

The total number of deaths in the county from the virus to date is 95.

There has been 48 in care homes deaths, 38 deaths in hospital and nine in a home setting.

The ONS figures are considered the most accurate representation of the spread of the disease in Powys, despite including cases where Covid-19 had not been confirmed in a laboratory, which the official data from Public Health Wales does not cover.

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We are now seeing a steady increase in cases in a number of communities across Wales, and our investigations show that many of these have been transmitted due to a lack of social distancing.

“Coronavirus has not gone away. It remains the responsibility of everyone to help prevent the spread of this virus to protect older and vulnerable family members and friends. They should do this by self-isolating when asked to do so, staying two metres away from others, and by washing hands regularly.

“Face coverings are now mandatory for everyone over age 11 in public places, and only six people from an extended household can meet now indoors in areas of Wales where local restrictions do not apply."