Covid in Wales: Younger groups still make most new cases

Positive Covid tests in schools still account for only a tiny proportion of all attending pupils

Cases of Covid-19 linked to schools have risen by a third in a week, according to latest Public Health Wales (PHW) figures.

There were 549 positive tests linked to schools in Wales in the past week - almost a fifth of all new cases.

The majority of new cases in Wales are still among the younger age groups, according to PHW.

About 60% of cases in the latest day involved the under 30s, a clear pattern which has emerged in the past month.

The higher number of school cases - which cover pupils and staff - have been seen in areas with the highest case rates.

Wrexham, with 55 school cases, and Flintshire, with 54, have the highest overall case rates in Wales at 280 and 224 cases per 100,000 people respectively.

Caerphilly and Conwy have the next highest number of positive tests linked to schools, while there have increases in Cardiff, Newport and Torfaen in recent days.

The positive tests still only represent less than 0.2% of those pupils normally present in schools.

What else have we learned on Thursday?

Most of the 57 patients with confirmed Covid in hospital beds are in Betsi Cadwaladr and Cardiff and Vale health boards.

The rolling average is currently 43 patients, up from 26 patients a week ago - an increase of around two-thirds, and close to the average we last saw towards the end of April.

There were five of these patients in critical care or on ventilation - three of whom were in Cardiff and Vale health board. This number has remained in single figures since mid-April.

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However, hospital admissions for patients with confirmed and suspected Covid remain low - a daily average of seven, which is 0.6% of all hospital admissions.

As admissions remain low and steady, the numbers testing positive in hospital beds could be a reflection of patients with other conditions who may then test positive for Covid caught in the community, where cases are higher.

Hospitals in Wales routinely carry out more than 17,000 tests a week.

Case numbers continue to rise

Wales' case rate stands at 117 cases per 100,000 people, still lower than other UK nations and all English regions.

Meanwhile, at a community level, Rhos and Johnstown in Wrexham continues to have the highest case rate at 982 cases per 100,000, following 69 positive tests in the past week.

No further deaths were reported on Thursday by Public Health Wales.

What about tracing contacts?

The "test, trace, protect" system for contacting people with coronavirus and tracing contacts was dealing with up to 8,200 people a day during the second wave peak, and had been down to about 500.

But reflecting the rise in cases, it is now dealing with around 2,200 people a day.

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Of the 3,606 positive cases eligible for follow-up in the most recent week, 76.8% were reached within 24 hours and almost 81% within 48 hours.

It is estimated that 10% of contacts of an infected person develop Covid-19.

Of the 11,726 close contacts eligible for follow-up, 69.1% were reached within 24 hours of being identified by a positive case.

It does not include school cases.

This is a slow-down compared to recent weeks, which Digital Health and Care Wales said was "likely due to a larger number of positive cases and close contacts eligible for follow up by local contact tracing teams".