THE number of coronavirus patients in Gwent hospitals has fallen again this week, after hitting its lowest number since the summer last week.
Over the last week, an average of 36 coronavirus patients have been in hospitals in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area.
This number includes those with suspected or confirmed coronavirus, as well as those recovering from the virus.
Hospital admissions due to coronavirus across the region have also halved in the past week.
Just four people were admitted daily on average last week, down from the previous figure of eight.
It is also now more than three weeks since more than 12 people were admitted to a Gwent hospital with Covid on a single day.
Numbers also continue to fall across Wales.
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The average number of coronavirus hospitalisations in the country last week was 414, the lowest number since September, and down from 563 the previous week.
Average daily admissions also fell, from 20 to 15.
Speaking in Newport on Thursday, first minister Mark Drakeford praised the efforts people across Wales are continuing to make to follow the coronavirus rules.
He said: "If people were to act as if Covid was over and as if we did not need to go on doing those sensible things then my fear is we would see it coming back and coming back quickly.
"It is because of all the effort that we are making that we are in the better position we are in."
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