OVER 180 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across our region by Public Health Wales (PHW) on Tuesday.

There have now been 19,469 lab-confirmed cases of the virus from the combined counties that make up the North Wales region since the outbreak of the pandemic - after more incidents were confirmed in the latest figures released today.

Public Health Wales confirmed that 181 of today’s 630 newly confirmed Welsh cases were from the northern region.

They can be broken down as such:

• Anglesey – 16 (22.8 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Conwy – 19 (16.2 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Denbighshire – 12 (12.5 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Flintshire – 59 (37.8 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Gwynedd – 12 (9.6 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Wrexham – 63 (46.3 per 100,000 population as of today)

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – the largest health board in Wales – has reported 741 people have sadly died since the start of the pandemic, according to PHW data.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics, which are considered a stronger indicator of the overall impact of the virus, and which are based on all deaths where COVID is mentioned on the death certificate, stand at 848 for the health board area.

The national picture:

Across Wales, another 630 COVID cases were confirmed in Tuesday’s figures, meaning that 192,912 people are now known to have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

There were 21 newly reported deaths, meaning the number of people to have died with confirmed cases of coronavirus sadly stands at 4,775 in Wales.

This is what Public Health Wales' has to say:

Dr Giri Shankar, incident director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Although the data currently shows that on an all-Wales level the numbers of cases are reducing and that the incidence is now below 150 cases per 100,000 population, the rates in some areas - particularly in North Wales - are still at more than double that.

“The pressure on our hospitals is still severe and shows no signs of easing yet, so it is extremely important that everyone sticks to the rules and stays at home as much as possible.

“The announcement by Welsh Government last week that Foundation Phase pupils will be able to return to face-to-face learning in schools after half term is dependent on the numbers of cases continuing to reduce.

“The vaccination programme, run by Welsh Government and the local health boards, is continuing at pace, with more than 400,000 people in the first four priority groups having now received their first vaccination.

“The UK variant of Coronavirus prevalent in many parts of Wales is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, and as reported recently there is evidence which suggests that it may lead to a higher risk of death than the non-variant.

“This is a crucial time. We must ensure that we stick to the rules over the next few weeks so that the number of cases continues to reduce and that hospitals can start to recover, while the vaccination programme is underway to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

Dr Shankar stressed that all of Wales remains in lockdown and that people should continue following the rules.

He continued: “We ask that the public adopts the same mindset for this lockdown as they did in March 2020. We understand that people are fatigued but because the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus is circulating across Wales it is vital that we all keep to the lockdown restrictions and do not meet other people.

“This means that you must stay at home. Shop online, but if you do need to visit essential retail then do this alone, if possible, to minimise numbers of people in retail spaces, and avoid stopping to chat with people outside your household.

“If you must leave home keep your distance, wash your hands regularly, and wear a face mask when required according to the regulations.”