THE coronavirus case rate in Gwent has fallen to 41.2 per 100,000 people - for the week to March 17, the latest available.

And the weekly rate to that date across Wales has also fallen slightly, to 41.8 per 100,000.

The decreases come after slight rises in the Wales-wide case rates in a handful of council areas in Wales, notably Merthyr Tydfil and Anglesey in recent weeks, though these have fallen during the weekend.

No new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed today in Wales, and the number of deaths in Wales since the pandemic began remains at 5,488, including 952 in Gwent, according to Public Health Wales.

There have been 33 new cases confirmed in Gwent today, out of 150 in Wales.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 41,002 confirmed coronavirus cases in Gwent, out of 207,992 across Wales.

Today's newly confirmed cases in Gwent, are: Newport, 13; Blaenau Gwent, 10; Caerphilly, seven; Torfaen, three; Monmouthshire, none.

In Wales, by the end of yesterday, 1,273,186 people have had a first dose of coronavirus vaccine, and 346,058 people in Wales have now had a second dose.

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Monmouthshire (15.9 per 100,000) continues to have the lowest rolling weekly case rate in Gwent - to March 17 - and has the second lowest rate of Wales' 22 council areas. Torfaen (23.4) has the sixth lowest rate in Wales.

Blaenau Gwent (65.8) has the fifth highest rate in Wales, Newport (52.4) has the seventh highest rate, and Caerphilly (44.7) has the ninth highest rate.

Ceredigion, with 11 per 100,000, and Monmouthshire (15.9) have the two lowest rolling weekly case rates in Wales, to March 17.

Merthyr Tydfil (121) and Anglesey (107) and have the two highest rolling weekly case rates in Wales.

The Wales-wide test positivity rate for the week to March 17, was 3.5 per cent. Blaenau Gwent (4.7 per cent) has the highest test positivity rate in Gwent.

The newly confirmed cases across Wales today are:

Cardiff - 19

Flintshire - 14

Newport - 13

Anglesey - 12

Swansea - 11

Blaenau Gwent - 10

Merthyr Tydfil - eight

Caerphilly - seven

Gwynedd - seven

Conwy - six

Powys - six

Carmarthenshire - five

Neath Port Talbot - five

Torfaen - three

Bridgend - three

Pembrokeshire - three

Denbighshire - two

Vale of Glamorgan - two

Rhondda Cynon Taf - two

Wrexham - one

Monmouthshire - none

Ceredigion - none

Unknown location - five

Resident outside Wales - six

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.