Covid-19 rates continuing to fall in most areas of Wales

By Ian Jones, Reporter20th November 2020News WalesCoronavirus / Covid-19, News Wales

Covid-19 case rates are continuing to drop in most parts of Wales, latest figures show.

The biggest falls are in Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.

Rates have climbed in seven of the 22 local authority areas, however.

The figures, for the seven days to November 15, are based on tests carried out in NHS Wales laboratories and those conducted on Welsh residents processed in commercial laboratories.

They show that the number of new cases per 100,000 people in Merthyr Tydfil has dropped week-on-week from 535.4 to 270.2, while in Rhondda Cynon Taf the rate has fallen from 417.0 to 257.8.

In Bridgend the rate is down from 301.9 to 202.7.

The area recording the biggest increase is Newport, where the rate has jumped from 153.9 to 190.1.

Blaenau Gwent has the highest rate in Wales: 337.8, down slightly from 352.1.

A 17-day “firebreak” lockdown ended in Wales on November 7, which is likely to have had some impact on the drop in Covid-19 case rates.

Here are the latest rates in full.

The figures have been calculated by the PA news agency and are based on data published on the Public Health Wales Covid-19 surveillance dashboard on November 19. Data for the most recent four days (November 16-19) has been excluded as it is incomplete and understates the true number of cases.

From left to right, the list reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to November 15; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to November 15; rate of new cases in the seven days to November 8; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to November 8.