THERE have been 50 new positive tests for coronavirus reported in Powys during the last 24 hours – with two more recorded deaths, according to Public Health Wales (PHW) stats.

It takes the cumulative number of cases in the county over the 3,000 mark, meaning that since the pandemic started there have been a total of 3,019 cases recorded in Powys.

The two additional deaths recorded take the number of people who have died in Powys up to 40 from 38 yesterday, although that number remains at 154 (the same figure as yesterday) according to more accurate Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

Deaths of Powys residents can be skewed because 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 – 3,019

New cases in January 15 data – 50

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to January 10 – 199.3

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – joint 13th out of 22

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Friday, January 15 – 50

Thursday, January 14 – 42

Wednesday, January 13 – 18

Tuesday, January 12 - 30

Monday, January 11 - 69

Saturday/Sunday, January 9/10 - 75

Friday, January 8 - 43

The national picture:

A further 54 people are reported to have died in Wales with coronavirus, PHW has said – the same figure as Thursday.

It means that 4,171 people are now known to have died in Wales with the virus.

But case rates in some of the hardest hit parts of Wales are falling, including Wrexham and parts of the south Wales valleys. The case rate for Wales as a whole is now the lowest it has been since December 6.

Figures published on Friday show there were 1,808 new Covid infections reported in Wales, taking the total number of cases to 117,864.

Of today’s deaths, 18 were in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area, nine in Swansea Bay, two in Powys, and eight in the Aneurin Bevan area. Three were reported by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board, eight in Cardiff and Vale and six in the Hywel Dda area.

PHW is now providing daily updates of the number of people who have had a vaccine, which currently stands at 126,375. That means 4 per cent of the population have now had one dose of the jab. Of these, 129 have received their second dose.

The Welsh Government is making “really good progress” towards hitting its targets for Covid vaccinations, the first minister says. The target is to give everyone over 70 the vaccine by the middle of February.

Giving a Welsh Government update on Friday, Mark Drakeford also revealed that the number of mass vaccinations centres was now 45 – the initial target was to have 35 by the end of January.

A pharmacy will become the first in Wales to offer Covid vaccines, as community vaccine trials begin.

Fifty people with appointments are due to visit the pharmacy near Pwllheli, Gwynedd, on Friday to receive their first shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Hundreds more pharmacies in Wales will offer the jab in the next two weeks.

Elsewhere, a Wales Covid-19 Evidence Centre is being established to "shape" the Welsh Government's response to the pandemic.

The centre will have an initial budget of £3m over two years from this month.

Wellbeing minister Eluned Morgan decided to establish the centre to "provide a Welsh-specific programme of research, evidence synthesis and knowledge mobilisation".

Supermarkets, meanwhile, will have to limit the number of shoppers in store under law amid concerns about safety in the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Drakeford said shops would also have to install signs reminding shoppers to socially distance.

It comes after customers and staff raised concerns over safety, with some workers saying they had faced abuse. Mr Drakeford said the stricter measures were needed due to the new variant.

One Mold supermarket worker said she was challenging people every day and seeing "loads of people walking around" the store without masks and in groups.

The Welsh Government has hinted rules will be tightened amid concerns Covid-19 rules are not being followed.

Public Health Wales' statement:

Dr Robin Howe, 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, due to the impact on NHS Wales services.

“All of Wales remains in lockdown. We ask that the public adopts the same mindset for this lockdown as they did in March 2020. We understand that people are fatigued but because the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus is circulating across Wales it is vital that we all keep to the lockdown restrictions and not to meet other people.

“This means stay at home. If exercising outdoors, please do this alone or with members of your household or support bubble only. Shop online, but if you do need to visit essential retail then do this alone, if possible, to minimise numbers of people in retail spaces, and avoid stopping to chat with people outside your household. If you must leave home keep your distance, wash your hands regularly, and wear a face mask when required according to the regulations.

“Public Health Wales is working with UK partners to investigate and respond to the new variant of coronavirus identified in Wales. The new variant is easier to spread and the public should remain highly vigilant in measures to prevent transmission including maintaining social distancing, regularly handwashing and wearing of face coverings. Though the new variant is more infectious, there is no evidence that it leads to more severe disease.

“The roll-out of the Pfizer BioNTech and AstraZeneca Coronavirus vaccines continues in Wales with the recently Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Moderna vaccine to be incorporated into the programme soon.

“Daily vaccination data is published on the Public Health Wales dashboard. The headline summary includes daily cumulative numbers of individuals who have received a first and second vaccination dose. Public Health Wales is working closely with the Welsh Government as they deploy coronavirus vaccinations through local health boards. Welsh Government is leading on the deployment of the vaccine 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. The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for some time, and we must continue to follow the advice on keeping Wales safe.”