THERE have been 15 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Powys today (Friday, November 20).

The total number of lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Powys since the outbreak of the pandemic now stands at 1,299.

No further deaths with the virus in Powys have been recorded meaning the total number of people to have died from Covid-19 in the county remains at 24.

Public Health Wales' 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.

ONS figures, 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 100 in Powys.

Powys stats

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – 16th out of 22

New cases in November 19 data – 37

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to November 14 – 86.1

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day

Friday, November 13 – 15

Thursday, November 19 - 37

Wednesday, November 18 - 5

Tuesday November 17 - 15

Monday, November 16 - 13

Sunday, November 15 - 19

Saturday, November 14 - 13

The national picture

Tuesday's figures reveal that 31 more people have died with coronavirus – meaning a total of 2,338 people have died in Wales since the start of the pandemic.

A total of 69,517 cases have now been confirmed in Wales, 1,048 of which are new today.

Public Health Wales' statement

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “From tomorrow, Saturday, November 21, 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.

“We understand that people will want to carry on with their Christmas shopping now the fire-break has ended. We would suggest to try to visit shops during off-peak times, to always maintain social distancing and to wear a face covering if you can. Options such as ‘click and collect’ or online purchasing may also be something to consider."