WALES has recorded over 60 covid-19 related deaths today but the number of daily cases has dropped.

67 deaths have been recorded today in Public Health Wales’ official figures, taking the total number of fatalities since the pandemic began to 4,459.

Four of those deaths recorded today have been in the Hywel Dda region of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire with the total now standing at 333.

Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board in North Wales has recorded five new deaths today with its total now standing at 687.

Powys has not recorded any new deaths with its total since the start of the pandemic remaining at 40.

801 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded across Wales today with the seven-day infection rate now standing at 271 cases per 100,000 population.

Gwynedd has recorded 37 new cases today, with Ceredigion recording 11; Carmarthenshire, 56; Pembrokeshire, 10 and Powys, 17.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “We are increasingly confident in the data which is showing a consistent downward trend in the numbers of positive cases in Wales.

“However, the numbers of cases is extremely high, and this is placing extreme pressure on our NHS Wales hospitals.

“The new variant of Coronavirus prevalent in many parts of Wales is up to 70 per cent more transmissible, so it is still vital that everyone continues to remain vigilant, by staying at home and sticking to the rules. This way we will avoid adding to the pressure on hospitals and will keep people safe.

“All of Wales remains in lockdown. 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.”