Covid: Figures show fall in number of people in Wales with virus

About 1 in 70 people had the virus on 2 January, down from 1 in 50 on 23 December, ONS says

The number of people in Wales with coronavirus has fallen, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It said about 44,000 people in Wales had the virus in the week ending 2 January - or 1 in 70.

That is down from 59,000 in the week ending 23 December - or 1 in 50.

The figures were compiled after more than 10,000 random throat and nose swab tests were taken over a six-week period.

The ONS said cases in both England and Scotland had increased over the same period.

• Figuring out the stats on coronavirus in Wales

• Fifty-six more people die with Covid in Wales

It estimated 1 in 50 people in England and 1 in 115 people in Scotland had the virus on 2 January.

Figures also suggest the number of people with the virus in Northern Ireland had stopped decreasing, with about 1 in 200 people estimated to have the virus in the same week.

The ONS figures do not break down the number of people with the virus in each part of Wales but figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) show large disparities between Wales' 22 local authority areas.

Wrexham currently has the highest case rates in Wales, with 904.7 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Bridgend 894.3 cases per 100,000 people.

In contrast, the lowest rates in the country are Gwynedd (82.7) and Conwy (178.3).

Case rates show how many people with Covid-19 symptoms are presenting themselves for tests that then come back positive.

PHW said the number of positive coronavirus cases remained "extremely high in Wales" and was a cause for serious concern.

It warned that, while the new variant of coronavirus was easier to transmit, there was "currently no evidence that it is more severe".