Coronavirus deaths continue to fall in Wales

Fifteen areas including Rhondda Cynon Taf, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly saw no Covid-19 deaths registered in the latest week

The number of deaths involving Covid-19 has fallen again to 11, in the latest weekly figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Four of these were in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board area - including three patients from Wrexham who died in hospital.

There were no deaths registered at all in 15 council areas or across the Hywel Dda and Swansea Bay health board areas for the week ending 21 August.

Total deaths now stand at 2,564.

This ONS total includes all deaths both suspected and confirmed to be involving Covid-19 in care homes, people's homes and hospices up to 21 August and registered by 29 August.

In the same period, Public Health Wales - whose daily bulletins only report confirmed Covid-19 cases, mostly in hospitals - had given a total of 1,593 deaths.

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The UK government, which only counts deaths which happened within 28 days of a coronavirus test, reported 1,590 deaths in Wales.

The number reported in the latest week by ONS is three fewer than the week before.

Four of the deaths were in care homes.

For the previous two weeks, Wrexham had more registered deaths than any other area in Wales or England, but now Blackburn and Bradford have more.

There were two deaths registered in Newport and the Vale of Glamorgan and one each in Cardiff, Flintshire, Merthyr and Powys.

In the same week, Northern Ireland and Scotland registered six deaths each.

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The ONS also reports so-called "excess deaths" - which show the death rate compared with what we would normally expect to see at this time of year.

This has been seen as a useful indicator of the progress of the pandemic.

Although there were 21 deaths above the five-year average in Wales, ONS suggested it was not coronavirus driving it. The hot weather had earlier been suggested as a factor.