WALES has recorded nearly 7,000 new cases of coronavirus according to the latest data.

Statistics released this lunch time, which cover a 48 hour period up to 9am on Sunday, show that 6,796 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded nationwide, with the rate of infection jumping from 503.4 in yesterday’s figures, to 548.4.

Ceredigion has recorded 106 new cases of the virus with 285 new cases in Carmarthenshire and 268 in Pembrokeshire.

Gwynedd has recorded 203 new cases today with 185 cases recorded in Powys.

Eight deaths have also been recorded today, taking the total number of suspected Covid-19 fatalities since the start of the pandemic to 6,516.

Of the new deaths recorded today, one has come in the Hywel Dda Health Board region of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, taking the total number of deaths to 621.

One new death has also been recorded in the Betsi Cadwaladr region of north Wales, taking its total number of fatalities to 1,123.

Powys has not recorded any new deaths today, with its total remaining at 86.

Ministers are meeting today to discuss further measures to tackle to the rise in Covid cases.

It is unclear what additional measures could be introduced as a result of the meeting, aside from the ones already announced that come into force on 27 December.

These new restrictions will include the reintroduction of the two metre rule on social distancing in work places, asking business to put in extra measures such as physical barriers and one-way systems and the closure of nightclubs.

Ceredigion County Council issued a warning on Friday over rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in the county.

The council said: “We are currently seeing high numbers in New Quay and Penbryn which is currently at 654.2 per 100,000 of the population, Lampeter and Llanfihangel Ystrad area which remains at 570.2 per 100,000 of the population and Borth and Bontgoch which is at 618.3 per 100,000 of the population.

“The Welsh Government are becoming increasingly concerned with the rates of infection across Wales which includes cases of the new variant, Omicron.

“There are currently no confirmed Omicron cases in Ceredigion, but we know it will be here soon and we must do all that we can to keep ourselves and our families safe.

“Omicrom is expected to be the most dominant form of virus by the end of the month in Wales.”

Dr Giri Shankar from Public Health Wales, speaking to the BBC Politics Wales programme on Sunday, warned: “We appear to be a week or two behind what London, most parts of England, and Scotland are seeing.

"We need to make that work to our advantage because the higher the cover with booster vaccination, the better."

When asked on new restrictions that come into force in Wales on 27 December, Dr Shankar, added: “I think we may well see a situation where, despite all those measures and with good compliance to those measures, we may still find that the case numbers and the burden on the system may be such that we might need additional restrictions.”