Covid: Under 25s drive rise in positive cases

Cases among the under 25s have been rising in all but one of Wales' 22 local authority areas

Covid-19 cases among the under 25s are again driving the rise in positive test results in Wales, according to latest Public Health Wales figures.

Young people accounted for 44% of all cases in the week ending 21 August as rates among the under 25s have risen in all but one of Wales' 22 counties.

The highest proportional rises were in Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan and Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire.

It comes as Wales' Covid infection rate has risen to its highest since January.

Pembrokeshire has the highest case rate for under 25s at 705.6 per 100,000 people with Wales' average case case rate for that group is 455.1.

The overall case rate in Pembrokeshire has jumped to 372 cases per 100,000 - it was 176.5 a week ago.

Numbers of positive tests in the county have more than doubled to their highest levels in the pandemic so far.

Higher case rates among the under-25s were the driver of rising rates in some areas seen in early July, as they are now.

Blaenau Gwent is the only county where the case rate among the under 25s has gone down.

The analysis also shows rises in under 16s and the 25 to 49 age groups but the sharpest is in the 17 to 24 age group.

The latest daily proportion of positive tests for under 30s is 44% of all positive tests.

What else do the latest figures show?

• Wales' case rate has risen again on Wednesday to 321.7 cases per 100,000 - which is nearly higher as England's for the first time since last December

• The average number of daily cases is 1,449 - it was 887 a week ago

• The "doubling time" for cases is 10 days

• All communities in Wales have had six or more Covid positive tests in the last week

• Swansea now has the highest case rate - 462 cases per 100,000, which is the 25th highest in the UK. Its positivity rate is above 21%

Case numbers are higher at this point in the second wave - and above the most recent modelling by scientists for the "most likely scenario" - but there are fewer hospitalisations and deaths.

Four deaths were reported by Public Health Wales on Wednesday - three in north Wales' Betsi Cadwaladr health board area and one in Swansea Bay. Three of the deaths happened on Monday and one last Friday.

There have been nine deaths in the most recent seven days - a daily average of 1.1. The daily average was 23 deaths at the same point in the second wave.

What about hospital figures?

There were 278 patients with Covid - confirmed, suspected or recovering - on Tuesday, which is the same as the day before and a 38% rise on the week before.

The daily average was 250, 29% rise on the previous week.

The number of patients with confirmed Covid is 192 on Tuesday - slightly down on the day before but a 38% rise week-on-week.

The average number of confirmed patients at this point in the second wave was nearly six times higher.

Latest figures show there were 31 Covid patients in critical care - a similar number to what has been seen over the past week or so - with 11 in hospitals in north Wales.

There were 70 Covid patients in intensive care at the same point in the second wave - 150 at the peak.

Hospital admissions are averaging 22 a day - with 28 on Wednesday - up from 15 a week ago, with Covid infections accounting for 2% of all admissions.

At the same point in the second wave it was 74 a day - so more than three times higher, which is a similar pattern being seen across UK.