16 coronavirus deaths in Gwent in eight days, and 1,250 cases

During that period, 16 of these deaths have bee confirmed in Gwent, bringing the overall total in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area since the pandemic began to 306, according to Public Health Wales.

The Wales-wide total is now at 1,783, again according to Public Health Wales.

The number of cases confirmed across Wales today is 1,158. These are among more than 7,500 cases in the past eight days, more than 1,250 of which are in Gwent.

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Gwent-wide, there have been 1,074 cases confirmed in the week to October 23, but cases across Wales rose significantly during that seven-day period, and continued to do so during the weekend.

Blaenau Gwent is now one of four areas in Wales to have a rolling weekly cases rate - to October 23 - to more than 300 per 100,000 population.

In the county borough the rate is 322.1 per 100,000. In Merthyr Tydfil the rolling weekly case rate is 379.6, in Rhondda Cynon Taf 341.1, and in Cardiff 305.3.

Other parts of Gwent now all have rolling weekly cases rates of above 100 per 100,000, as follows: Caerphilly, 217; Torfaen, 159.6; Newport, 128.7; Monmouthshire, 113.1.

The all-Wales rate - to October 23 - is 188.4 per 100,000.

More than one-in-five people tested in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf during the week to last Friday returned a positive result.

In Gwent for the same period, the proportion of positive test results were as follows: Blaenau Gwent, 17.7 per cent; Caerphilly, 16.4 per cent; Torfaen, 14.1 per cent; Newport, 11.3 per cent; Monmouthshire, 10.4 per cent.

Public Health Wales figures for coronavirus deaths include only those that have been confirmed by a laboratory test. The Office for National Statistics - which counts all deaths in which coronavirus is mentioned on the death certificate - puts the number of deaths in Wales much higher.