Ceredigion has lowest Covid case rate in UK – apart from Scottish island archipelago

Ceredigion has the lowest Covid-19 case rate in the UK – apart from a Scottish island archipelago over 10 miles from the mainland.

The seven day coronavirus case rate in the Welsh local authority has fallen to a rate of 31.6 per 100,000 population, with only 23 new cases in the last week.

Only the Orkney and Shetland Islands in Scotland have a lower case rate – 22.5 and 4.4 respectively over seven days per 100,000 population.

It means that Ceredigion has fewer Covid-19 cases per population than the islands of the Outer Hebrides (74.9), and the Isle of Wight (259.6).

Monmouthshire, Gwynedd and Merthyr Tydfil are among other areas with some of the lowest case rates in the United Kingdom. Merthyr Tydfil has fallen to 81.2 from 741, at one point among the highest in the UK.

Wrexham is now the part of Wales with the highest rolling case rate at 343.5 per 100,000. Over 30 of the most affected areas are in England with Knowsley, Merseyside having a seven day case rate of 613.1 per 100,000.

While cases have dropped overall in Wales however the lag means that last week was one of the worst for deaths in the country, with Covid-19 involved in 41.5% of all deaths in Wales.

ONS figures show there were 447 deaths involving Covid-19 across Wales for the week ending 22 January, compared to 467 the week before – the highest at any point in the pandemic.

The total number of deaths occurring involving Covid-19 in Wales has now risen to 6,473 people.