Covid: Infections in Wales at highest point for 11 weeks

Infection estimates are based on test results taken at random from more than 6,500 people in Wales

Covid-19 infections are continuing to rise in Wales, according to latest estimates.

One in 25 people is estimated to have had Covid in the latest week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Estimates are now the highest for 11 weeks.

An estimated 117,600 people in Wales had Covid in the week ending 11 October, which equates to 3.87% of the population.

This is a 57% rise on the previous week when 74,900 people were estimated to have had Covid. These are the highest estimates since late July.

Since the summer of 2020, the ONS has organised a weekly swab survey involving thousands of households across Wales, which now involves people being sent test kits by post.

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Because mass testing ended in March, the ONS analysis has become the most reliable tool to measure the level of infection.

Infections are also estimated to be one in 40 in Northern Ireland and one in 35 in Scotland, where the trends are uncertain.

Covid infections rose in England to one in 30.

Infections were also rising in Yorkshire and Humber, West Midlands and the south-east.

The latest daily estimates show infections higher in older people in Wales.

Flu cases up

Meanwhile, Public Health Wales (PHW) said flu cases had reached their highest levels since the winter season three years ago.

It confirmed 130 cases of flu in the week ending 16 October, although it said they are still at low levels.

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The GP consultation rate is at 2.8 per 100,000 - still well below the "low intensity" threshold.

What about hospitals?

The number of patients testing positive for Covid in hospital in Wales averaged 594 in the week to 18 October - up 11% on the same time last week, although the rate of increase has slowed.

When we look at patients with confirmed Covid just in acute beds on Tuesday, these had fallen on the week before.

The vast majority - an average of 98% - continue to be "incidental" Covid patients, who happen to test positive in hospital but are not actively being treated for the virus, according to Digital Health and Care Wales figures.

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Numbers in critical care and actively treated for Covid remain in single figures while admissions of people with Covid remain low.

Patients showing symptoms for Covid are being tested in hospital, while PHW figures show more than two-thirds of those infected, mainly elderly patients, caught Covid while in hospital for something else.

Looking at hospital pressures more generally, the bed occupancy rate - which looks at how full acute wards are - show they were close to record levels in the last week.

Flu overtakes Covid as a leading cause of death

Flu and pneumonia overtook Covid as a cause of death in Wales in September, latest analysis by the ONS shows.

Covid slipped to the 10th leading cause of death, analysis of death certificates shows.

Flu and pneumonia ranked sixth, moving ahead of Covid, with its mortality rate not significantly different to the pre-pandemic average, according to ONS.

Covid, which was the second leading cause of death in Wales after heart disease throughout 2021, is now the sixth leading cause of death so far in 2022, after heart disease, dementia, chronic lower respiratory diseases, lung and throat cancers and strokes.

Flu and pneumonia is still ranked seventh so far in 2022 but not significantly lower than Covid. There were 97 deaths due to flu and pneumonia in September, similar to the average.

The ONS, which takes into account population and age structure, found the mortality rate for deaths due to Covid in Wales in September was 19.9 deaths per 100,000 - a fall on August's figure but not significantly so.

It said there were 57 deaths due to Covid in Wales in September, taking the total since the pandemic began to 9,096 - when the virus was the underlying cause of death.

Age-standardised mortality rates due to Covid are slightly higher in England than in Wales since the pandemic began.

When Covid is a factor in a death, the mortality rates are about the same between the two nations but both are higher than Scotland and Northern Ireland.