Wales records 12,378 new Covid cases as infection rates surge
Public Health Wales has reported over 12,000 new cases of Coronavirus in the 48-hour up to 9am on Boxing Day.
The surge in cases has seen weekly infection rate reach 1004.1 per 100,000 people, more than doubling from the rate of 492.9 at the start of December.
PHW also reported three further deaths due to Covid, taking the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 6,551.
Over the week ending 23 December Cardiff recorded the highest weekly infection rate in Wales at 1,335.5. Overall, 11 of 22 local authorities have rates in four figures, including diff, while Newport, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, the Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Ceredigion, and Swansea.
Merthyr also has the highest positive test proportion at 30.7%. followed by Wrexham, 30.5%, and Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff 30.4%.
The national test positivity rate across has jumped from 22% on Christmas Eve to 28.2%.
In the run up to the Christmas break there were 444 people in general and acute hospital beds with coronavirus and 31 people required treatment in ventilated intensive care beds with Covid-19. The statistic on hospital admissions will next be updated on December 30.
Booster jabs
Health officials are urging people in Wales to get a booster jab as cases climb again with PHW’s Dr Giri Shankar highlighting particular concern at the lower take-up of jabs among younger people and healthcare workers.
“We’ve got a good uptake currently, about 87% for care home residents,” Dr Shankar told BBC Wales.
“We still have a way to go in the younger cohort. In the 40 to 49-year-olds we have about 50% uptake.
“In the 30- to 39-year-olds we have 30% uptake and with our healthcare workers we have around 82% so we need to do better with those younger cohorts and healthcare workers so that additional protection can be realised in the population.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Its so good seeing Wales pulling together on this….as the infection numbers grow again, With the exception of the few ‘ usual suspects’ who think its just a mild flu – or a big brother hoax – we can be proud of our NHS and all fantastic care & support staff in a range of settings. Wales has shown it can work with the other nations in these islands and match the efforts in other small nations.. Evidence based and proportionate response plans seem to reflect the colleagate approach of the WGvt, civic society and local community reps. We just… Read more »
Yes, the youth are the same in Scandia, no jabs and feeling fireproof, as one does when young. Maybe have the pop bands and sportspeople give them a shakeup on adverts? Worth a try.
Your right John.
View seems to
think its late 20s/early 30s single(ish) males in employment though not settled down.
Quite often gym users and see themselves as fit and immune rather than anti vax for political or big brother reasons. This second section tend to be some what older…
Interesting and lessons to learn re messaging as you say.
General I know but lots of studies under way and a few Masters thesis I guess ?
It is a mild cold….seen it for myself…..how many lock ups are we going have under our leader Mr. Dic Tator.?
Not keen on lock ups, lock downs or indeed lock ins my friend – but I’m afraid what you say does not stack up or has any evidence in fact or clinical experience, I’m sure there are many less severe cases as you describe – but those who I know who have it NOW – do not share your light effect views. Like with all outbreaks of any infection or disease., transmission presentation and effects differ – but the 🦠case here is causing not only very high levels of increasing hospitalisation and knock on effects on other cancer ♋️ or… Read more »
Yes indeed. I would also take issue with the anti-lockdown and Tory folk who seem to think that their individual freedom trumps that of other people. They need to get vaccinated as a civic duty and show that they are participating members of our society not freeriders only concerned with their own narrow interest. I say this as an elderly bloke, triple jabbed, who is a carer for two elderly ladies. We would love to exercise our “freedom” and go places, browse the shops, eat out, etc. but while so many folk are both unvaccinated and not bothering with Covid… Read more »
It would Peter and is available if one searches around. I am only a few months younger than you and although I live at the other end of Wales – I do see where your going with your thoughts – though your views on severity & effect are I feel way off the Mark for many though not course all.
How many in the UK have died from this “mild cold” you speak of? How many hospitalised from it?
You arse!!
It looks like this variant might be “a mild cold” for those with protection via vaccines but not always that for those unvaccinated, especially if they have vulnerabilities known or unknown. But people going into hospital still puts the NHS under pressure and still deviates attention from other health activities, as much as they try to avoid this. We simply don’t have enough information at the moment because last hospital admisssion is from 20/12/21 and people are desperate not to go into hospital before Christmas. We also don’t know what happens with inter-generational mixing on Christmas. Drakeford has overstepped at… Read more »
Boris Johnson’s English Government in London are effectively playing Russian Roulette with lives over the border to appease the ERG extremist wing of the Conservative party by removing Covid restrictions so revellers can have a pandemic party. With that in mind, the Conservative Minister for Care one Gillian Keegan, who the BBC keep referring to as the UK Care Minister not England for some reason? , have added a caveat to the would-be English partying public, to “enjoy the New Year celebrations, but be cautious” forgetting that when the drink flows the mind slows. It will be impossible to stay… Read more »