THERE has been a slight spike in positive coronavirus cases reported in Powys within the last 24 hours – with the number rising to eight.

That is the fifth highest in Wales today among the country’s 22 local authority areas – with Cardiff (25), Swansea (19), Rhondda Cynon Taf (14) and Newport (9) recording more cases than Powys.

Still, numbers continue to gratefully decrease in general, with the rate of new cases per 100,000 in the week to April 5 in Powys down to just 7.6 – only Bridgend (4.1) and Ceredigion (6.9) have lower rates.

The total number of positive cases in Powys is now up to 4,132. The number of deaths in Powys remains at 65, according to Public Health Wales (PHW) figures, with that number still at 265 according to more accurate Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

The vaccination process in Powys continues to move ahead at an unerring pace – with more than two thirds of the county’s adult population having now had their first jab.

A staggering 93 per cent of people in the highest priority groups have been given an initial dose, contributing to nearly 108,000 total doses so far.

“We have now delivered nearly 108,000 vaccine doses through the Powys Teaching Health Board Covid-19 vaccination programme,” the health board said in a statement on their website this morning (April 10).

“This includes over 81,300 first doses and over 26,600 second doses.

“Ninety three per cent of people in Priority Groups 1-9 in Powys have received their first dose, and nearly a third (32 per cent) have already received double-dose protection.

“Over two-thirds (70 per cent) of the adult population in the county have received their first dose.

“Last week (week ending April 4) saw over 9,000 vaccination doses delivered in the county.”

Powys stats:

Confirmed cases – 4,132

New cases in April 10 data – 8

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to April 5 – 7.6

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – 5th out of 22

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Saturday, April 10 – 8

Friday, April 9 – 3

Thursday, April 8 – 2

Wednesday, April 7 – 0

Monday/Tuesday, April 5/6 – 1

Easter weekend (April 3/4) – 4

The national picture:

There have been no recorded deaths in Wales due to the virus today – meaning the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Wales since the pandemic remains at 5,528.

There have now been 210,344 reported confirmed cases in Wales, with 130 new cases reported today. 1,556,316 people nationwide have received a first dose of the vaccine, while more than 500,000 have received both jabs.

There has been one case in Wales of a person developing a rare blood clot after having the AstraZeneca jab, the head of the vaccine rollout has said.

Dr Richard Roberts confirmed there had been "one firm case" but no deaths. The UK's medicines regulator has said under-30s should be offered an alternative Covid jab due to evidence linking it to blood clots.

Dr Roberts insisted the vaccine was safe for anyone aged over 30 without underlying health conditions. A review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found that by the end of March 79 people had suffered rare blood clots after having the AstraZeneca vaccination in the UK – 19 of whom had died.

This was out of 20 million administered doses – giving a risk of about four in one million of developing a blood clot, and one in a million of dying.

Elsewhere, the easing of lockdown measures in Wales is to be accelerated, as case numbers in the country continu to fall.

People will be able to go to the gym and form an extended household a week earlier than originally planned – although those hoping for a quicker return to the pub must still wait until April 26 for beer gardens to reopen.

Cases in Wales have fallen to 21 per 100,000 people this week, prompting First Minister Mark Drakeford to announce the accelerated programme of reopening.

The news means:

*The planned date for organised outdoor activities and outdoor wedding receptions moves forward from May 3 to April 26.

*Gyms, leisure centres and fitness facilities will reopen from Monday, May 3, rather than May 10.

*Extended households can be formed, allowing two households to meet and have contact indoors from May 3, rather than May 10.

Public Health Wales' statement:

Dr Christopher Williams, incident director for the coronavirus outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “From this Monday, April 12, a number of restrictions will be eased:

· All children will return to face to face education as well as all post-16 learners returning to further education. Training centres and university campuses will be able to open for blended face to face learning for all students.

· All remaining shops can reopen, and all close contact services including mobile services can resume

· Viewings at wedding venues can resume by appointment, and outdoor canvassing for elections can begin

· In addition, travel restrictions on travelling into and out of Wales will be lifted. However, restrictions on travel to countries outside the Common Travel Area without a reasonable excuse, remain in place.

“As numbers continue to fall, we welcome the Welsh Government’s announcement that gyms and leisure centres will be able to open from May 3 – instead of May 10 – while two households can bubble up to meet indoors from the same date. Wedding receptions outdoors for up to 30 people will be allowed from April 26, also moving forward a week.”

Current information on the Welsh Government restrictions for coronavirus are available at https://gov.wales/coronavirus.