THERE have been a total of 36 new coronavirus cases recorded in Powys so far in 2021, figures today revealed.

The amount of cases in the county is now up to 2,428, with 36 new positives reported over New Year’s Day and January 2 since the figure was 2,392 on New Year’s Eve.

The number of deaths from the virus in Powys remains at 34, according to Public Health Wales (PHW) stats. However, that number has risen to 140 according to more accurate Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures in recent days, though this may be due to a lag in reporting.

PHW reports new deaths daily but these are usually from previous days. It did not release data on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, which means there will be a backlog of data that will flow through to the system on the following days.

Deaths of Powys residents can be skewed as many of the county’s patients deemed acute are transferred to hospitals in England. ONS figures are therefore usually 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.

Powys stats:

Confirmed cases – 2,428

New cases in January 1/2 data – 36

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to December 25 – 151

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

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Friday/Saturday, January 1/2 – 36

Thursday, December 31 – 17

Wednesday, December 30 – 44

Tuesday, December 29 – 29

Monday, December 28 – 39

Christmas period – 72

Thursday, December 24 – 34

The national picture:

A further 70 people have died after contracting coronavirus in Wales, while the number of tests administered has surpassed two million.

The high amount of new deaths is due to a lag in figures with no statistics announced either on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

It takes the total number of deaths in Wales to 3,564.

Twenty-six of the new deaths were reported by Cwm Taf Morgannwg. Aneurin Bevan, Cardiff and Vale, and Swansea Bay each reported 11 deaths, seven were reported by Hywel Dda and four by Betsi Cadwaladr.

PHW also reported a further 2,764 new cases across the country. It takes the number of positive cases to 151,300 since the pandemic began.

Since Thursday 14,816 tests have been carried out, bringing the total to 2,007,728.

The Covid vaccine programme, meanwhile, is at the “very beginning” and vaccination rates are increasing, Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething has insisted.

It follows concerns raised by some politicians over the speed of Welsh vaccine rollout.

Initial figures on how many people have received the first Pfizer-BioNTech jab show Wales is slightly behind those vaccinated elsewhere in the UK.

Mr Gething said there were likely to be “small differences between nations”.

“Comparisons are naturally being made on the number of vaccinations administered by the four nations of the UK,” he said in a ministerial statement to Senedd members.

“Whilst I recognise the data indicates there are other nations ahead of us, the national data presented at this very early stage of the vaccination roll out should be considered provisional and a snapshot of ongoing activity.”

He said there would be “lags” in data being entered, and local factors affecting vaccinations.

Across Wales, beauty spots have been “disappointingly busy over the last few days” despite restrictions meaning all but essential travel should be avoided.

Snowdonia park warden Arwel Morris reiterated the message that people should not be driving to visit places. North Wales Police said people visited from Southampton and Kent in breach of Covid rules on New Year's Day.

Mr Morris blamed a “perfect storm” of good weather and people being off work for the number of visitors in the area.

“We try and enforce the fact that exercise should begin and end at home, meaning people should not try and drive to a location where they plan to exercise,” he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

“And this has been really difficult over the last few days.

“We have dealt with people from London, Birmingham… numerous people from north Wales travelling to beauty spots.”

Public Health Wales' statement:

Dr Chris Williams, incident director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We wish everyone a Happy New Year, and hope that 2021 will be a better year for us all.

“With vaccinations for Covid-19 progressing, we welcome the announcement by the Welsh Government of the roll-out of the second coronavirus vaccine (from Oxford/AstraZeneca) in Wales.

“Vaccinating the adult population of Wales, to protect people from severe disease, is a significant task, and the vaccine will take time to reach everyone.

“Please do not to phone your GP, pharmacy or hospital asking when you will get a vaccine. When someone is in one of the groups eligible for the vaccine, they will be invited to attend a dedicated clinic which will have been set up to ensure patient safety and that of the healthcare professionals.

“The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for some time, and with Wales at alert level four we must continue to follow the advice on keeping Wales safe. Stay at home, meet only the people you live with, maintain social distancing, wash your hands regularly, and work from home if you can.”