THE coronavirus case rate in Wales is edging down again after a small increase last week - but overall, the position is stable.

The rolling weekly case rate to March 19 - the latest available - is 40.5 cases per 100,000 people, with the rate for Gwent for the same period at 41.2 per 100,000.

There have been three new coronavirus deaths confirmed in Wales today, with the number of deaths since the pandemic began now at 5,491, according to Public Health Wales. There have been no new deaths confirmed in Gwent for three days, and the total here remains at 952.

There have been 30 new cases confirmed in Gwent today, out of 159 in Wales.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 41,052 confirmed coronavirus cases in Gwent, out of 208,277 across Wales.

Today's newly confirmed cases in Gwent, are: Newport, nine; Caerphilly, seven; Monmouthshire, seven; Blaenau Gwent, four; Torfaen, three.

In Wales, by the end of yesterday, 1,302,974 people have had a first dose of coronavirus vaccine, an increase of more than 14,700, and 366,803 have now had a second dose, an increase of almost 13,500.

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Monmouthshire (13.7 per 100,000) continues to have the lowest rolling weekly case rate in Gwent - to March 18 - and has the second lowest rate of Wales' 22 council areas. Torfaen (18.1) has the fourth lowest rate in Wales.

Blaenau Gwent (68.7) has the fourth highest rate in Wales, Newport (53) has the sixth highest rate, and Caerphilly (46.9) has the eighth highest rate.

Ceredigion, with 11 per 100,000, and Monmouthshire (13.7) have the two lowest rolling weekly case rates in Wales, to March 18.

Merthyr Tydfil (112.7) and Anglesey (101.4) have the two highest rolling weekly case rates in Wales, though these have fallen in recent days. Concern remains however, over outbreaks in these areas, which were the main reason for last week's slight Wales-wide case rate increase.

The Wales-wide test positivity rate for the week to March 18, was 3.3 per cent. Blaenau Gwent (4.8 per cent) has the highest test positivity rate in Gwent.

The newly confirmed cases across Wales today are:

Swansea - 24

Anglesey - 12

Neath Port Talbot - 12

Merthyr Tydfil - 11

Conwy - 10

Flintshire - 10

Cardiff - 10

Newport - nine

Caerphilly - seven

Monmouthshire - seven

Rhondda Cynon Taf - seven

Carmarthenshire - six

Blaenau Gwent - four

Gwynedd - four

Vale of Glamorgan - four

Bridgend - four

Torfaen - three

Wrexham - three

Denbighshire - two

Pembrokeshire - one

Powys - one

Ceredigion - none

Unknown location - four

Resident outside Wales - three

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.