THERE have been 37 new cases of coronavirus reported in Powys in the last 24 hours, according to the latest figures.

The cumulative number of cases in the county now stands at 2,692, with the number of deaths from the virus in Powys still 36, according to Public Health Wales (PHW) stats. However, that number is 147 according to more accurate Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures – rising by seven in recent 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. The jump in ONS reported deaths is likely to be down to a delay or lag in collating figures.

Elsewhere in the county, a new mass vaccination centre is set to open in Builth Wells next week, with the arrival of the appointment-only facility at the Royal Welsh Showground.

This will mean that the county will have three mass vaccination centres – Bronllys, Newtown and Builth – and plans are also well under way to establish primary care-led clinics later this month.

All three mass vaccination centres will be available by appointment only, with invitation letters being sent to residents in the national priority groups. Later this month, the vaccination centre in Newtown is also set to relocate from its current location at the Park Street Day Centre to Maldwyn Leisure Centre to increase the number of appointments available for Powys residents.

It comes after a Powys care home saw the first residents in the county receive their Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday.

Crosfield House, in Rhayader, was the first in Powys to have their residents vaccinated. The 48 people at the care home were vaccinated using the Oxford-AstroZeneca vaccine which became available for use this week.

This marks the beginning of a process to vaccinate all care home residents in Powys by January 16.

Mary Willis, 86, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, was one of those to receive the vaccine.

A further 11 care homes in Powys and over 250 residents, meanwhile, will receive their vaccinations today (Thursday), and other homes in Powys will receive theirs by the end of next week subject to eligibility.

Powys stats:

Confirmed cases – 2,692

New cases in January 7 data – 37

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to January 2 – 230.3

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – 19th out of 22

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Thursday, January 7 – 37

Wednesday, January 6 – 39

Tuesday, January 5 – 42

Monday, January 4 – 47

Sunday, January 3 – 99

Friday/Saturday, January 1/2 – 36

Thursday, December 31 – 17

The national picture:

Another 63 people have died in Wales after contracting coronavirus, according to the latest figures.

The total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic now stands at 3,801, says PHW.

It also reported a further 1,718 new Covid infections in Wales, taking the total number of cases to 163,234.

There were 22 deaths in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area, 13 in Cardiff and Vale and 10 in Swansea Bay. Seven new deaths were reported in the Aneurin Bevan area, which covers south-east Wales, another seven in Betsi Cadwaladr in north Wales and four in Hywel Dda, which includes Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Around 14,000 people have had their first dose of the Covid-19 jab in Wales in the past week.

It takes the numbers on the priority list to have got the Pfizer-BioNTech jab to 49,428 since the rollout started on December 8.

But they show Wales lagging behind England so far, with a smaller proportion getting a first dose.

The numbers do not include the first to receive the Oxford vaccine, which began to be given this week.

PHW says the real numbers are likely to be higher, with the figures a snapshot based on those vaccines so far recorded electronically.

This week has been described as "momentous" as the rollout of the second vaccine – Oxford-AstraZeneca – began in Wales.

There are challenges with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because it has to be stored at extremely cold temperatures. while the Oxford vaccine can be kept in a fridge.

The Welsh Government said 40,000 doses of the Oxford jab would be available within the first two weeks – with 22,000 jabs this week.

Public Health Wales' statement:

Dr Eleri Davies, incident director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “The number of positive coronavirus cases remains extremely high in Wales and is cause for serious concern.

“Once again we are sadly reporting a high number of deaths – it should be noted that not all of these deaths occurred during the same 24 hour period but it does show the severity of the situation and acts as a reminder to everyone how important it is to stick to the rules to prevent transmission of the virus.

“With vaccinations for Covid-19 progressing, we welcome the start of the roll-out of the second Coronavirus vaccine (from Oxford/AstraZeneca) in Wales, with the first patients receiving their vaccine on Monday.

“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. The epidemiology of Covid-19 throughout the UK in late 2020 showed a clear need for rapid, high levels of vaccine uptake among vulnerable persons.

“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.”