TEN new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Powys by Public Health Wales on Saturday (October 17).

The total number of lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Powys since the outbreak of the pandemic now stands at 633, with Public Health Wales confirming 10 new cases overnight – it means this is the fourth day in five this week that Powys has broken into double figures for cases recorded.

There were 19 cases reported on Wednesday, with 11 the previous day and 10 on Thursday, with nine reported yesterday.

There remain no more deaths in Powys, with the number of confirmed deaths of people due to Covid-19 in the county remaining at 15.

PHW's figures mostly involve hospital deaths and only include cases when the virus has been confirmed in a laboratory test. The figures do not include deaths of residents from Powys in hospitals in England, although these are included in Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

Figures from the ONS, considered a stronger indicator of the overall impact of the virus, and which are based on all deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, stand at 95 in Powys, where it has remained since mid-August.

The county's infection rate now appears to have passed 25 cases per 100,000 people – the trigger point at which the Welsh Government is thought to start monitoring the advance of the virus, but still well below the level at which a local lockdown is imposed.

 

Powys stats:

Confirmed cases – 633

New cases in October 17 data – 10

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to October 13 – 52.9

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – 18th out of 22

 

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Saturday, October 17 – 10

Friday, October 16 – 9

Thursday, October 15 – 10

Wednesday, October 14 – 19

Tuesday, October 13 – 11

Monday, October 12 – 5

Sunday, October 11 – 9

Saturday, October 10 – 9

 

The national picture:

Five more people have died with coronavirus and 674 have tested positive, according to the latest figures from Public Health Wales.

A ban on people travelling to Wales from coronavirus hotspots elsewhere in the UK came into effect on Friday.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the rules on Wednesday after twice asking Boris Johnson to stop people from English hotspots from travelling.

The ban covers all of Northern Ireland, England's tier two and three areas and the Scottish central belt.

Mr Johnson has since written back to Mr Drakeford and said the UK “must avoid imposing conflicting restrictions”.

Welsh Secretary Simon Hart criticised the decision, saying it risks “stirring division and confusion”, but the move was backed by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The new rules, which came into force at 6pm on Friday, mean anyone coming from places in the UK with extra restrictions is now banned from entering the country.

People living in parts of England and Scotland without extra restrictions can still travel to areas of Wales which are not under local lockdowns, including Powys, Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd (apart from Bangor).

Seventeen areas of Wales, including 15 of its 22 counties, as well as the city of Bangor and town of Llanelli, are currently under local lockdowns.

Movement in and out of these counties without a reasonable excuse was already banned.

As is the case within Wales, there are reasonable excuses for travelling in and out of locked down areas included in the ban.

There have been 1,708 deaths reported to PHW since the start of the pandemic.

Among the latest cases, Cardiff has seen 117 people test positive, with 58 in Rhondda Cynon Taff, 54 in Bridgend, 50 in Swansea and 40 in Wrexham.

Three of Saturday’s reported deaths were in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area in south-east Wales, with two in the Betsi Cadwaladr area in north Wales.

 

Public Health Wales' statement

Dr Chris Williams, incident director for the Covid-19 outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Cases of Coronavirus continue to rise in all parts of Wales, including in areas where local restrictions are in place.

“The public health message has not changed and is as important as ever; it is vital that people in every part of Wales stick to social distancing guidelines – that’s staying two metres away from others, avoiding socialising with people outside your household, and washing hands regularly. They must also self-isolate immediately when asked to do so.

“We have seen an increase in transmission of the coronavirus in social settings and would like to remind the public that the virus spreads really well in social situations. If you need to visit these type of venues, then:

 

  • Don’t mix with anyone other than the people that you live with;
  • Stay 2m apart from people that you don’t live with;
  • If you are contacted by the Test, Trace, Protect service, then please be honest about where you have been and with whom – the contact tracers aren’t going to judge you, they are trying to restrict the spread of the virus.  By giving them the correct information you will help others avoid infection, and possibly getting seriously ill.