ALMOST 500 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Gwent today, the highest in a day since the pandemic begun, and the second time this week that unwanted landmark has been reached.

Today's 490 confirmed cases for Gwent follows the 440 from last Thursday.

It is possible, indeed likely, that had coronavirus testing been as widespread back in late March and throughout April - when the first wave was at its peak - some days then would have seen even higher numbers of confirmed cases.

But today's case number is the highest in Gwent since the second wave began, and an indication of the grip coronavirus is still exerting on communities in this area.

And the 1,916 cases confirmed across Wales today - of which the Gwent figure is part - again illustrates that the virus is increasing in many other areas too.

There have also been five more coronavirus deaths confirmed in Gwent today, out of 14 across Wales.

The Wales-wide death toll, according to the Public Health Wales, is now 2,709, including 493 in Gwent.

There have now been almost 89,000 coronavirus cases confirmed in Wales since the pandemic began, with more than 17,000 of these in Gwent, again according to Public Health Wales.

In the past week alone, close to 2,400 cases have been confirmed in Gwent.

Today's confirmed cases in Gwent are: Caerphilly, 179; Newport, 127; Torfaen, 82; Blaenau Gwent, 64; Monmouthshire, 38.

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The rolling weekly case rate for Wales has risen again, as it has all week, and for the week to December 3 was 279.5 per 100,000 population.

Four of the five council areas in Gwent have rolling weekly case rates for the same period that are above that figure, as follows: Blaenau Gwent, 489.5 per 100,000 (the second highest in Wales); Torfaen, 392.7 (fifth highest in Wales); Caerphilly, 381.6 (sixth highest in Wales); Newport, 376.3 (eighth highest in Wales; Monmouthshire, 248.4 (12th highest in Wales).

Neath Port Talbot, 556.68 cases per 100,000 for the week to December 3, has the highest rolling weekly case rate in Wales, while neighbouring Swansea (404.5) has the fourth highest rate.

Merthyr Tydfil (436) has the third highest rate, with the top 13 such rates being in south Wales.

By contrast, six of the seven areas with the lowest rates are in north Wales.

The newly confirmed cases today across Wales are as follows:

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 239

Cardiff - 238

Swansea - 217

Caerphilly - 179

Neath Port Talbot - 145

Newport - 127

Bridgend - 126

Carmarthenshire - 112

Torfaen - 82

Blaenau Gwent - 64

Vale of Glamorgan - 62

Merthyr Tydfil - 49

Flintshire - 47

Pembrokeshire - 43

Monmouthshire - 38

Wrexham - 24

Powys - 24

Denbighshire - 20

Conwy - 18

Ceredigion - 11

Gwynedd - nine

Anglesey - two

Unknown location - 13

Resident outside Wales - 24

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.