Coronavirus in Powys round-up – Sunday, February 14

Public Health Wales (PHW) statistics show that the total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began now stand at 3,737.

According to those PHW figures there has been one more death in Powys, rising to 55, although that number is significantly higher according to more reliable Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. ONS stats reveal Powys deaths stand at 201, though that was the same as yesterday. The lag in stats is typically down to fluctuating and delayed reporting figures.

Deaths of Powys residents can also 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.

On Friday we published our weekly ONS figures of middle layer super output areas (MSOAs) which present the rolling number of cases in either a seven-day or 21-day window.

The MSOA stats show Ystradgynlais, in the south of Powys, as the worst affected area in the county with 616 total Covid-19 cases, with Brecon (327) second and Rhayader/Elan Valley (240), Crickhowell/Llangynidr (239) and Welshpool (235) rounding out the top five. Builth and Llanwrtyd (209) is the other area to have had more than 200 cases.

There has been a downward trend in almost all areas of Powys in recent weeks though, with Welshpool the exception to the rule. It has seen an increase in the last seven days up to February 7, although case numbers for the area are still far below what they have been previously.

The Montgomery, Trewern and Berriew area has seen the biggest decrease in the same time period.

Powys stats:

Confirmed cases – 3,737

New cases in February 14 data – 14

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to February 9 – 120.1

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – Joint 10th out of 22

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Sunday, February 14 – 14

Saturday, February 13 – 12

Friday, February 12 – 41

Thursday, February 11 – 37

Wednesday, February 10 – 8

Tuesday, February 9 – 21

Monday, February 8 – 22

Sunday, February 7 – 27

The national picture:

Fifteen more people have died from Covid-19 in Wales, with the nation’s total number of Covid-related deaths now standing at 5,121.

There have been a further 394 cases reported, with Wales' overall case rate falling to 95 cases for every 100,000 people.

Of the new deaths, five were recorded in the Cardiff and Vale health board area and three deaths in the Hywel Dda area in west Wales. There were also two deaths in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area in north Wales, two in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg area in south-east Wales and two recorded in the Swansea Bay area, with a further death in Powys.

Another 22,000 people have received their first Covid vaccine dose, taking the total to 771,651. Second Covid jab doses have been given to 4,573 people.

Poverty and health inequality are behind the high Covid death rates in the south Wales valleys, a public health boss has said.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) the rate is 340.3 deaths per 100,000 population – the third highest in the UK. But, Cwm Taf Morgannwg's director for public health said the rate had been predictable.

Kelechi Nnoaham, director for public health at Cwm Taf Morgannwg, said the issues that led the problem “we've known about for years” and this result could have been foreseen.

“It is fundamentally about poverty and health inequalities,” Dr Nnoaham said.

These latest figures come at the end of a significant week for Wales in terms of fighting the virus, as it will become the first UK nation to have offered the top four priority groups a Covid jab. The Welsh Government said on Friday that, within hours, all over-70s including care home residents, will have been offered a first dose.

The UK Government's Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said Wales' milestone was "fantastic news" and testament to the continued effort made by NHS and military staff.

The country currently leads the UK in the percentage of the population that has received a first jab – with at least 715,944 doses given out. Figures up to Thursday night show 22.7 per cent of the population have been vaccinated, compared to 21 per cent in England, 20.4 per cent in Scotland and 19.7 per cent in Northern Ireland.

Public Health Wales' statement:

Dr Giri Shankhar, incident director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We welcome the news that the vaccination programme in Wales, carried out by Welsh Government and the local health boards, has reached the significant milestone of 20 per cent of the population having had their first dose of the vaccination.

“This is a great achievement and is a big step towards ensuring the reduction of serious illness, and deaths, from coronavirus.

“We encourage everyone, whatever their background, socio-demographic and ethnicity, to have the coronavirus vaccine when they are offered it. We also stress the importance of seeking information from a trusted source such as Public Health Wales, the Welsh Government, local health board or GP.

“We continue to work to identify and investigate cases of variant coronavirus in Wales. To date, 13 cases of the South Africa variant have been identified in Wales. Multi-agency investigations continue into two separate cases that do not have clear links to international travel. There are no cases of the variants associated with Brazil.”

“The UK variant of coronavirus prevalent in many parts of Wales is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, and as reported recently there is evidence which suggests that it may lead to a higher risk of death than the non-variant. Public Health Wales welcomes the recent evidence that the ChadOx1 (AstraZeneca/Oxford Vaccine Group) vaccine is effective against the UK variant.”