Covid-19: Weekly figures show 218 more deaths in Wales

Neath Port Talbot with 26 deaths was ranked 19th highest across England and Wales in the latest week

There were 218 deaths with Covid-19 in the latest weekly figures from the Office for National Statistics.

This is five fewer deaths than registered in the previous week, which had been the highest since early May.

The most deaths were within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area, 62, with 43 of these in hospital, in the week ending 27 November.

Deaths overall are nearly a quarter above what we would normally expect to see at this time of year.

There were also 44 deaths in the Aneurin Bevan health board area, across all settings, 39 deaths in Swansea Bay - the highest number since the start of May - 23 in Betsi Cadwaladr and 21 in Cardiff and Vale.

There were 16 deaths in Hywel Dda and 13 deaths involving Powys residents, the highest number since early May; 10 of these were in hospital.

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There were 31 deaths involving Covid registered in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT), ranked 13th in the highest 20 local authority areas across England and Wales for the week.

Neath Port Talbot with 26 deaths was ranked 19th. It comes after health officials warned that infections in the area could soon reach "catastrophic levels."

The total number of Covid deaths in Wales up to and registered by 27 November was 3,682 deaths.

When deaths registered over the following few days are counted, there is a total of 3,767 deaths occurring up to 27 November.

So-called excess deaths, which compare all registered deaths with previous years, are above the five-year average.

Looking at the number of deaths we would normally expect to see at this point in the year is seen as a useful measure of how the pandemic is progressing.

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In Wales, the number of deaths fell from 848 to 797 in the latest week, which was 151 deaths higher than the five-year average for that week.

The ONS figures also showed:

• There were 58 care home deaths in Wales where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the same as last week which was the highest number since mid May.

• Fifteen of the deaths were in care homes in RCT, 10 in Neath Port Talbot and seven in Caerphilly.

• RCT, with 537 deaths, has the largest number of Covid-19 deaths in Wales. Cardiff has had 464.

• RCT's cumulative Covid-19 death rate is 223.6 deaths per 100,000 people - the second highest rate involving Covid-19 across all local authorities in England and Wales.

• This is followed by Merthyr (201 per 100,000, now ranked fourth for mortality rate involving Covid-19) and Blaenau Gwent (167.8, 32nd).

• Ceredigion, once second lowest behind the Isles of Scilly, now has the ninth-lowest death rate with 35.6 per 100,000. Pembrokeshire is also in the bottom 20.

Meanwhile, Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board has reported 15 more deaths at three of its hospitals linked to infection outbreaks.

These included 11 more at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Llanstrisant, in the week to Sunday.

There have now been a total of 760 cases linked to the outbreak of infections in hospitals across the health board since October.

The ONS reports deaths involving Covid-19 which are mentioned on death certificates, which occur in hospitals, care homes, hospices and people's homes.

These include deaths where the virus is confirmed or suspected but ONS analysis is that in about 90% of Covid deaths in Wales, the virus is the underlying cause, not just a factor.