PUBLIC Health Wales has recorded 279 new coronavirus cases in the Gwent region, among 1,660 added to the Welsh total today.

A further 45 people have died in Wales since testing positive for Covid-19, including four more people within Gwent's Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region.

There were 84 new cases reported today in Newport, 81 in Caerphilly, 47 in Torfaen, 38 in Monmouthshire, and 29 in Blaenau Gwent.

The four coronavirus-related deaths reported in Gwent today takes the region's death toll to at least 750 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Public Health Wales toll only includes people who died after testing positive for the virus.

Provisional figures from the Office of National Statistics, which records any case in which Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, put the Gwent death toll at closer to 1,000 people.

New cases were confirmed today in each of Wales' 22 council areas. The highest number of new cases were reported in Wrexham, Cardiff and Flintshire.

Earlier today, health minister Vaughan Gething said there would be "a significant step-up" in Wales' vaccination programme over the next few weeks.

The Welsh Government will also start publishing daily vaccination figures from Monday.

READ MORE: Health minister - 'Significant step-up' in vaccinations over next few weeks

The latest PHW rolling seven-day average figures for infection rates show there are roughly 435 confirmed virus cases in Wales for every 100,000 people.

Three areas of Gwent have higher infection rates: Torfaen (525), Blaenau Gwent (516), and Newport (498).

Here are the number of new cases and deaths per health board area (in bold) in Wales, followed by the number of new cases within each council area for that health board region:

Aneurin Bevan UHB — 279 new cases, 4 new deaths.

Blaenau Gwent (29 new cases), Caerphilly (81), Monmouthshire (38), Newport (84), Torfaen (47). 

Betsi Cadwaladr UHB — 488 new cases, 8 new deaths.

Anglesey (17 new cases), Conwy (39), Denbighshire (57), Flintshire (165), Gwynedd (36), Wrexham (174).

Cardiff and Vale UHB — 228 new cases, 2 new deaths.

Cardiff (169 new cases), Vale of Glamorgan (59).

Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB — 267 new cases, 21 new deaths.

Bridgend (108 new cases), Merthyr Tydfil (30), Rhondda Cynon Taf (129).

Hywel Dda UHB — 118 new cases, 8 new deaths.

Carmarthenshire (81 new cases), Ceredigion (11), Pembrokeshire (26).

Powys THB — 17 new cases, 1 new death.

Powys (17 new cases).

Swansea Bay UHB — 136 new cases, 1 new death.

Neath Port Talbot (62 new cases), Swansea (74).

There were also 27 new cases with an unknown location, and 100 new cases in people who are residents outside Wales.