THE latest rolling weekly case rate for coronavirus in Gwent (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area) is 77.4 per 100,000, slightly below the all-Wales rate (80), as the slowdown in the spread of the virus continues.

Individual council areas in Wales have shown small fluctuations in case rates in recent days, reflecting changes in case numbers as confirmations come through.

But overall, the picture remains good, as thoughts turn towards how the easing of lockdown will be carried out.

Across Wales, 319 new cases have been confirmed today, including 63 in Gwent, as follows: Caerphilly, 26; Torfaen, 15; Newport, 12: Monmouthshire, seven; Blaenau Gwent three.

The progress made in Gwent in driving down case rates is illustrated by the fact that all five council areas continue to have rolling weekly case rates - to February 17 - of below 100 per 100,000.

Blaenau Gwent (60.1 per 100,000) has the fifth lowest rolling weekly case rate of Wales' 22 council areas to the above date, Monmouthshire (64.5( has the seventh lowest in Wales, and Torfaen (64.9) the eighth lowest.

Newport (92.5) has the sixth highest rate in Wales for the week to February 17, and Caerphilly (84.5) the eighth highest.

The all-Wales rate - to February 17 - was 80 per 100,000 population.

Ceredigion 33 per 100,000, and Pembrokeshire (55.6) have the two lowest rolling weekly case rates in Wales.

Anglesey (112.8 per 100,000) and Flintshire (109.5) have the two highest rolling weekly case rates in Wales.

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The 63 newly confirmed cases in Gwent today takes the total here since the pandemic began to 39,871, according to Public Health Wales. Wales-wide, the number of confirmed cases is now 202,007.

Nine more deaths have been confirmed in Wales today by Public Health Wales - taking the total to 5,246 - though none of these are in Gwent, where the total remains 934.

The Wales-wide test positivity rate for the week to February 17, was 7.4 per cent. Caerphilly (8.2 per cent) has the highest test positivity rate in Gwent.

The newly confirmed cases across Wales today are:

Cardiff - 43

Caerphilly - 26

Flintshire - 25

Wrexham - 22

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 22

Conwy - 19

Swansea - 19

Carmarthenshire - 16

Torfaen - 15

Denbighshire - 14

Gwynedd - 13

Newport - 12

Neath Port Talbot - 10

Monmouthshire - seven

Anglesey - seven

Powys - seven

Merthyr Tydfil - six

Bridgend - five

Vale of Glamorgan - four

Pembrokeshire - four

Blaenau Gwent - three

Ceredigion - three

Unknown location - three

Resident outside Wales - 14

Public Health Wales figures include reports of the deaths of hospitalised patients in Welsh hospitals, or care home residents, where Covid-19 has been confirmed with a positive laboratory test and the clinician suspects this was a causative factor in the death.

They do not include people who may have died of Covid-19 but who were not confirmed by laboratory testing, those who died in other settings, or Welsh residents who died outside of Wales, and the true number of Covid-19 deaths will be higher.

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.