THE coronavirus case rate in Gwent has remained unchanged - at 42.4 per 100,000 people - for the week to March 14, the latest available.

And the weekly rate to that date across Wales rose for the fourth day in a row, though by less than one case, to 43.7 per 100,000.

The rise continues to be accounted for by increases in cases in a handful of council areas in Wales - concerns have been raised in particular this week over Merthyr Tydfil and Anglesey.

No new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed today in Gwent (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area), but there have been nine in other parts of Wales, including six in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area (north Wales).

The number of deaths in Gwent since the pandemic remains at 950, according to Public Health Wales. The total for Wales as a whole is now 5,476.

There have been 33 new cases confirmed in Gwent today, out of 201 in Wales.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 40,887 confirmed coronavirus cases in Gwent, out of 207,438 across Wales.

Today's newly confirmed cases in Gwent, are: Caerphilly, 16; Newport, 11; Blaenau Gwent, three; Monmouthshire, two; Torfaen, one.

In Wales, by the end of yesterday, 1,204,101 people have had a first dose of coronavirus vaccine, an increase of almost 24,000. And 318,976 people in Wales have now had a second dose, an increase of more than 14,500.

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Monmouthshire (16.9 per 100,000) continues to have the lowest rolling weekly case rate in Gwent - to March 14 - and has the second lowest rate of Wales' 22 council areas. Torfaen (31.9) has the ninth lowest rate in Wales.

Blaenau Gwent (60.1) has the fifth highest rate in Wales, Newport (51.1) has the seventh highest rate in Wales, and Caerphilly (46.9) has the ninth highest rate.

Ceredigion, with 6.9 per 100,000, and Monmouthshire (16.9) have the two lowest rolling weekly case rates in Wales, to March 14.

Merthyr Tydfil (147.5) and Anglesey (127.1) and have the two highest rolling weekly case rates in Wales.

The Wales-wide test positivity rate for the week to March 14, was 3.9 per cent. Blaenau Gwent (4.6 per cent) has the highest test positivity rate in Gwent.

The newly confirmed cases across Wales today are:

Cardiff - 20

Swansea - 17

Caerphilly - 16

Flintshire - 13

Anglesey - 12

Merthyr Tydfil - 12

Neath Port Talbot - 12

Newport - 11

Conwy - 11

Carmarthenshire - 11

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 10

Pembrokeshire - nine

Gwynedd - eight

Wrexham - eight

Vale of Glamorgan - six

Bridgend - five

Denbighshire - four

Blaenau Gwent - three

Monmouthshire - two

Torfaen - one

Powys - one

Ceredigion - none

Unknown location - two

Resident outside Wales - seven

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.