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Three more people have died of coronavirus in Wales and more than 300 more cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Wales.
Figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show that there were 320 new laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded on Friday, September 25, a slight drop from the 348 recorded the day before.
PHW also confirmed that three people had died from laboratory-confirmed coronavirus, bringing the total since the pandemic began in Wales to 1,609.
Blaenau Gwent, which is one of six local authorities currently under a local lockdown, recorded 201.8 positive cases per 100,000 residents in the last week, by some means the most of any local authority in Wales.
Only four local authorities in England have higher rates in the last week: Bolton 218.4, South Tyneside 205.3, Burnley 204.7 and Knowsley 204.2.
Blaenau Gwent also had a test positivity rate of 11.9%, well above the national average of 4.6%. In the past seven days, Blaenau Gwent (population 69,000) has had more positive cases, 141, than Cardiff (population 367,000), which has had 139 cases and has also been put under local lockdown.
Merthyr Tydfil (169.1) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (128.5) continued to have very high cases per 100,000, while the Welsh average per 100,000 inhabitants is now 44.9, down from 43.2 the day before.
Here are the key details for Friday:
- Deaths reported today: 3
- Cases reported today: 320 (vs. 348 on Thursday)
- Number of new tests: 10,854 (up from 11,030 on Thursday)
- Total laboratory confirmed coronavirus deaths in Wales: 1,609
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) had the highest number of new cases registered on Friday with 48 (although that was down from 76 yesterday), followed by Blaenau Gwent with 35, Bridgend with 31, Cardiff with 29 and Swansea with 28.
Merthyr Tydfil had 20 new cases, Neath Port Talbot had 19, Flintshire had 16, Caerphilly had 12, Carmarthenshire had 11, Conwy and Denbighshire had nine, Newport and Wrexham had eight, Vale of Glamorgan had seven, Powys and Torfaen had four, Gwynedd and Monmouthshire had three and Pembrokeshire had two.
Anglesey and Ceredigion had no new positive cases of the virus.
These are the areas with the highest seven-day moving totals for new cases. All figures are reported as population-adjusted cases (per 100,000 people):
Aneurin Bevan University Board of Health
Caerphilly: 35.3 (bottom)
Newport: 33.6 (down)
Blaenau Gwent: 201.8 (top)
Torfaen: 28.7 (unchanged)
Monmouthshire: 9.5 (top)
Betsi Cadwaldr University Board of Health
Conwy: 26.4 (top)
Denbighshire: 26.1 (top)
Flintshire: 26.3 (top)
Anglesey: 17.1 (bottom)
Wrexham: 12.5 (up)
Gwynedd: 6.4 (bottom)
Cardiff and Vale University Board of Health
Cardiff: 37.9 (bottom)
Vale of Glamorgan: 24 (bottom)
Cwm Taf Glamorgan University Board of Health
Merthyr Tydfil: 169.1 (top)
Rhondda Cynon Taf: 128.5 (bottom)
Bridgend: 77.5 (up)
Hywel Dda University Board of Health
Carmarthenshire: 45 (bottom)
Pembrokeshire: 10.3 (top)
Ceredigion: 4.1 (unchanged)
Powys Teaching Health Council
Powys: 7.6 (top)
Swansea Bay University Board of Health
Swansea: 56.3 (top)
Neath Port Talbot: 25.8 (top)
Wales overall: 44.9 (top)
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On Friday afternoon, Health Minister Vaughan Gething confirmed that Cardiff, Swansea and the Carmarthenshire town of Llanelli would be placed under a local lockdown this weekend.
The Lanelli lockdown goes into effect at 6pm on Saturday and the lockdowns in Cardiff and Swansea will begin at 6pm on Sunday. Mr. Gething urged the people of the two cities not to “treat this weekend as a final blast.”
The changes mean around 1.5 million people in eight council areas and one city will be subject to local restrictions, just under half of the Welsh population.
“At Llanelli we have a particular challenge around the city that is well identified, a significant extension that is not under control,” said Mr. Gething.
“We have spoken with the local authority, we have spoken with the local health board and we understand the need to act and act as soon as possible.
Gething said local restrictions have been revised for Caerphilly, which has been closed for 15 days.
He said that since they were introduced to the county there has been a steady drop in the number of cases.
He said there have been very high levels of compliance, which has made a “real difference.” However, the restrictions will remain in effect for the next seven days at least.
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