Wales records 20% jump in Covid infections

Covid infections in Wales have increased by almost 20% in the last week, according to the latest Covid-19 infection study published by the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS has the estimated number of people testing positive for Covid in the week ending 29 September was 74,900, an 18.1% increase on the previous week when 63,400 were calculated to have the virus.

Covid infections have risen in Wales for the last four weeks and the based on the latest data around 2.47% of the population, or around 1 in 40 people in Wales are infected.

In England, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in the latest survey was 1.5 million, or around one in 35 people – up from 1.1 million, or one in 50, in the previous survey.

The trend in Scotland is described by the ONS as “uncertain”, with 109,700 people likely to have Covid-19 in the latest survey, or one in 50, compared with 113,000 in the previous survey, or one in 45.

In Northern Ireland the latest estimate is 45,100 infections, or one in 40 people, compared with 46,100, which is also one in 40 – though the longer trend here is showing an increase.

Steady increase

Total Covid-19 infections in the UK have risen 31%, the biggest percentage jump since June, with most parts of the country reporting a steady increase in virus levels.

Some 1.7 million people in private households across the UK are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus in the period September 23 to October 3, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is up from 1.3 million in the previous survey, which covered the period September 18 to 26.

It is the highest UK-wide total since late July but is still below the 3.8 million weekly infections in early July, at the peak of the wave caused by the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants of the virus.

There is a lag in the reporting of the ONS data due to the time it takes for the survey to be compiled.

Critical care

Public Health Wales has recorded 146 hospital admissions due to Covid and nine to critical care for the week ending 9 October.  There were 157 admissions the previous week with seven patients requiring critical care.

More recent figures show the number of people in hospital testing positive for Covid-19 in England is still on a clear upwards trend, though there are signs the rate of increase may have slowed in recent days.

Sarah Crofts, ONS deputy director for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “Infections have risen again across much of the United Kingdom, continuing the pattern of steady increases seen over recent weeks, although Scotland and the north-east of England had uncertain trends in the latest week.

“We have also seen another notable rise in infections amongst older age groups in England and Wales, underlining once again the need for close monitoring as we move through the colder months.”