Four new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the Hywel Dda health board area – none in Pembrokeshire – according to today’s figures (Tuesday, May 11).

Public Health Wales data shows that there were two new cases in Carmarthenshire, zero in Pembrokeshire and two in Ceredigion.

Across Wales, 30 new cases have been confirmed, with four new Covid-19 deaths reported.

The total number of cases in Wales is now 211,961 with 5,557 deaths.

One new death was recorded in the Hywel Dda area, with the total standing at 477 throughout the pandemic.

The total number of cases across the three counties is now 16,055 – 10,793 in Carmarthenshire, 3,480 in Pembrokeshire and 1,782 in Ceredigion.

There have been 5,738 tests carried out since the last report.

Across Wales, 1,948,683 have received a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 854,441 a second dose.

In Hywel Dda 324,638 vaccinations have been administered up until May 5, with 23,021 in the last seven days.

In Carmarthenshire 107,515 first doses have been administered, and 45,046 second doses, Pembrokeshire has seen 73,978 first dose appointments and 29,333 second dose and in Ceredigion 41,954 first doses have been given as well as 17,614 second doses.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:

“From Friday 14 May, Public Health Wales will no longer be publishing a daily statement each day.  The last statement will be published on Thursday 13 May.

“Going forward, news relating to the pandemic will be communicated to the public via the News section of the Public Health Wales website, and to the media via press releases.

“These changes will not affect our surveillance dashboard, which will continue to report six days a week.  Our social media posts announcing case numbers and deaths will also continue.

“We will maintain the ability to reintroduce the daily statement if necessary.

“The variant B.1.617.2, one of the variants first identified in India, has been designated as a Variant of Concern (VOC21APR-02) due to its high transmissibility, which is comparable to the Kent variant.  There is no evidence of wider community transmission of this variant in Wales, and the Kent variant remains the dominant strain here.

“Coronavirus cases by variant in Wales are reported on the UK Government website.

“On Friday 7 May, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) updated its advice on the use of the COVID-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged under 40. JCVI advice is followed in Wales.

“The advice states that unvaccinated adults aged 30 – 39 years who are not in a clinical priority group because of long term health conditions, should where possible be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, where it would not significantly delay vaccination.

“JCVI is not advising against using AstraZeneca vaccine in 30-39 year olds, only that other vaccines are preferred. JCVI advise that anyone who has already received a first dose of AstraZeneca should continue to receive the same vaccine for their second dose, there are no clotting safety concerns with the second dose. It is the second dose which gives stronger and longer protection. Our statement in response to the latest advice is available to view on our website.

JCVI also recently advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.

“As there is more experience of the use of the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in pregnancy those vaccines are therefore the preferred vaccines to offer to pregnant women.

“Welsh Government also announced that, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), people over 16 who live with individuals with severely weakened immune systems should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations as a priority.

“We would remind the general public that it is still extremely important to follow social distancing and hygiene measures to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus.  That is, staying 2m from anyone you don’t live with, washing hands regularly and wearing face coverings in indoor settings.

“Current information on the Welsh Government restrictions for Coronavirus are available at https://gov.wales/coronavirus

“If you are contacted by your local TTP team then it is important that you are truthful with them about where you have been and who you have met.  They are not there to judge, they are there to help prevent ongoing transmission of the virus and to protect the community.

“If you are asked to self-isolate by your local TTP team then please ensure that you do so for the full ten days – this will help break any chains of transmission.

“We urge anyone over 50 who has not yet received an invite for their vaccination to contact their local health board. Details of which can be found here: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed

“We encourage everyone, whatever their background, social demographic and ethnicity, to have the vaccine when they are offered it.

“If you or a member of your household develop a cough, fever or change in sense of taste or smell, you must self-isolate immediately and book a free Coronavirus test, either by calling 119 or by visiting www.gov.wales/getting-tested-coronavirus-covid-19.  Please check your local health board’s website to see if there are additional symptoms that require a test.”