CEREDIGION has recorded five new cases of coronavirus today (Tuesday) as council leaders have warned against complacency.

The latest daily figures show that 614 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded today taking the national rate of infection in Wales to 131 cases per 100,000 population.

Wales has recorded seven Covid-19 related deaths today, taking the total death toll since the pandemic began to 4,782.

Two of the deaths recorded today have been in the Hywel Dda region of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, taking the total to 368.

No new deaths have been recorded in Betsi Cadwaladr in North Wales and Powys today, leaving the totals in those areas at 741 and 50 respectively.

Ceredigion has recorded five new cases today, while Carmarthenshire recorded 57 and Pembrokeshire, 10.

Powys has recorded 16 new cases today and Gwynedd has recorded 12.

The seven-day rolling data, which covers the period 22-28 January, shows that Ceredigion’s rate of infection is by far the lowest in Wales, standing at 31.6 cases per 100,000 population having recorded 23 new cases over that time period.

Over the same seven days, Carmarthenshire recorded 269 cases giving it an infection rate of 142.5.

Pembrokeshire recorded 127 cases and has an infection rate of 100.9.

Powys recorded 138 cases over that same period leaving the county with an infection rate of 104.2 and Gwynedd recorded 100 cases, leaving it with an infection rate of 80.3.

Powys Teaching Health Board has however reported that over 23,000 people in Wales’ largest county have now received a vaccine.

Hywel Dda are due to release their weekly vaccine figures on Wednesday, but the figures last week showed that just over 10 per cent of Ceredigion’s population had received the first jab with 7,459 doses administered.

Giving the daily statement, 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.”