WALES and Gwent have recorded one of their lowest daily numbers of newly confirmed coronavirus cases since the early days of the second wave late last summer.

But a further 50 deaths have been confirmed across Wales today, including four in Gwent (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area).

There have been 455 new cases confirmed today across Wales, taking the total since the pandemic began to almost 194,000, according to Public Health Wales.

These include 72 new cases in Gwent, the lowest daily figure since early last autumn. Today's new Gwent cases are: Caerphilly, 25; Newport 20; Torfaen, 14; Blaenau Gwent, 10; Monmouthshire, three.

The number of deaths due to coronavirus in Gwent now stands at 898, among 4,832 in Wales, again according to Public Health Wales.

Sixteen new deaths have been confirmed in the Cardiff & Vale UHB area today, along with 15 in the Betsi Cadwaladr UHB area (north Wales), six in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB area, five in the Swansea Bay UHB area, and four in the Hywel Dda UHB area (west Wales).

The number of people who have received a first dose of coronavirus vaccine in Wales has reached 462,497, including almost 23,000 who were vaccinated yesterday.

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The all-Wales rolling weekly case rate - to the week ending January 29 - has fallen to 127.1 per 100,000 population.

Torfaen (146.9) has the highest rate in Gwent and the third highest rate in Wales, while Newport (140.3) has the fifth highest rate in Wales. Caerphilly (129.8) has the seventh highest rate in Wales.

Blaenau Gwent (120.2) has the eighth highest rolling weekly case rate in Wales, and Monmouthshire (79.3) has the fourth lowest rolling weekly case rate in Wales, behind Ceredigion (34.4).

Wrexham (325.8), has the highest rolling weekly case rate in Wales for the week to January 29, and Flintshire (232.5) the second highest.

The test positivity rate across Wales for the week to January 29 was 10.9 per cent. Torfaen's and Caerphilly's test positivity rate for that week, was 11 per cent, the highest in Gwent.

The newly confirmed cases across Wales today are:

Flintshire - 48

Cardiff - 43

Carmarthenshire - 33

Wrexham - 29

Caerphilly - 25

Anglesey - 24

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 24

Newport - 20

Neath Port Talbot - 20

Denbighshire - 18

Vale of Glamorgan - 18

Bridgend - 17

Swansea - 15

Torfaen - 14

Pembrokeshire - 13

Blaenau Gwent - 10

Powys - nine

Gwynedd - eight

Merthyr Tydfil - seven

Conwy - six

Ceredigion - six

Monmouthshire - three

Unknown location - seven

Resident outside Wales - 38

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.